2025

Counties in Massachusetts ranked by Non-Hispanic Black Population

This list ranks the 14 counties in Massachusetts based on their Non-Hispanic Black or African American population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in these counties over the past five years.
Updated Feb 13, 2025

Top 5 counties with the largest Non-Hispanic Black population in Massachusetts

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  • 1
    Suffolk County
    Non-Hispanic Black population in Suffolk County is 140,137
    15.14% of Suffolk County population is Non-Hispanic Black
  • 2
    Middlesex County
    Non-Hispanic Black population in Middlesex County is 78,074
    4.41% of Middlesex County population is Non-Hispanic Black
  • 3
    Norfolk County
    Non-Hispanic Black population in Norfolk County is 50,218
    6.45% of Norfolk County population is Non-Hispanic Black
  • 4
    Plymouth County
    Non-Hispanic Black population in Plymouth County is 44,817
    7.78% of Plymouth County population is Non-Hispanic Black
  • 5
    Worcester County
    Non-Hispanic Black population in Worcester County is 40,024
    4.21% of Worcester County population is Non-Hispanic Black

List of 14 counties in Massachusetts by Non-Hispanic Black Population

View Methodology
Rank by Non-Hispanic Black Population
County
Non-Hispanic Black Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Massachusetts Non-Hispanic Black Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Suffolk County 140,137 15.14% 30.79%
2 Middlesex County 78,074 4.41% 17.15%
3 Norfolk County 50,218 6.45% 11.03%
4 Plymouth County 44,817 7.78% 9.85%
5 Worcester County 40,024 4.21% 8.79%
6 Hampden County 35,131 6.58% 7.72%
7 Essex County 28,314 3.17% 6.22%
8 22,894 3.60% 5.03%
9 6,211 2.53% 1.36%
10 3,449 2.05% 0.76%
11 2,945 2.16% 0.65%
12 1,307 8.09% 0.29%
13 933 1.24% 0.20%
14 691 3.02% 0.15%

Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks counties in Massachusetts by their Non-Hispanic Black or African American population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census Defines Non-Hispanic Black Population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their race, meaning individuals can choose one or more racial categories when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as Non-Hispanic Black, whether alone or in combination with another race.
Here are a few important things to know about how race is reported:
  • Some people identify as Non-Hispanic Black alone, while others identify as Non-Hispanic Black along with another race (such as Non-Hispanic Black and White).
  • Hispanic / Latino origin is reported separately from race, so someone can be both Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Black .
  • We’ve used the “Non-Hispanic Black alone or in combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Non-Hispanic Black population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Non-Hispanic Black alone or in combination in counties. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Non-Hispanic Black .
  2. % of Total Massachusetts Non-Hispanic Black Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Non-Hispanic Black population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Non-Hispanic Black populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • Counties that don’t have any reported Non-Hispanic Black population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Non-Hispanic Black populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.