County outline
Where Norfolk County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 89.1% of Norfolk County’s measured area and water for 10.9%. Its combined area converts to 1,150.9 square kilometers or approximately 284,383 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 396.107 | 1,025.912 | 253,508.5 |
| Water | 48.241 | 124.944 | 30,874.2 |
| Total | 444.348 | 1,150.856 | 284,382.7 |
How Norfolk County compares
By original Census land area, Norfolk County ranks #10 of 14 in Massachusetts and #2541 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.733 times the Massachusetts county-equivalent median of 540.2 square miles. It accounts for 5.1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Massachusetts ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Norfolk County
The Census Bureau estimates that 739,749 people lived in Norfolk County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #95 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #5 of 14 in Massachusetts. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 726,021, the population has grown by 13,728 (+1.9%), compared with +1.7% for Massachusetts as a whole.
With 396.1 square miles of land, that is 1,868 people per square mile (721 per km²), placing Norfolk County #85 nationally for density and #3 in Massachusetts. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Massachusetts median is 673. Put another way, there are about 0.343 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 723,647 | 724,970 | 727,727 | 730,453 | 737,601 | 739,749 |
| Change | — | +1,323 | +2,757 | +2,726 | +7,148 | +2,148 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Norfolk County
Norfolk County is divided into 28 cities and towns. In Massachusetts, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Quincy city, with 103,173 residents (13.9% of the county). The largest by land is Franklin Town city, at 26.6 mi², or 6.7% of the county’s land. The county seat, Dedham town, has 25,731 residents. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Millis town grew fastest since then (+11.8%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quincy city | 103,173 | +1.5% | 16.6 | 4.2% |
| Brookline town | 63,414 | +0.4% | 6.759 | 1.7% |
| Weymouth Town city | 59,759 | +4% | 16.8 | 4.2% |
| Braintree Town city | 38,957 | −0.5% | 13.8 | 3.5% |
| Randolph Town city | 34,948 | −0.2% | 9.829 | 2.5% |
| Franklin Town city | 33,955 | +2% | 26.6 | 6.7% |
| Needham town | 32,897 | +2.1% | 12.3 | 3.1% |
| Norwood town | 31,714 | +0.3% | 10.4 | 2.6% |
| Wellesley town | 31,239 | +6.2% | 10 | 2.5% |
| Stoughton town | 29,845 | +1.9% | 16.1 | 4.1% |
| Milton town | 28,537 | −0.3% | 13 | 3.3% |
| Walpole town | 26,237 | −0.5% | 20.5 | 5.2% |
| Dedham townCounty seat | 25,731 | +1.4% | 10.3 | 2.6% |
| Canton town | 25,165 | +3.3% | 18.7 | 4.7% |
| Foxborough town | 18,934 | +1.7% | 19.9 | 5% |
Show the other 13 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharon town | 18,798 | +1.2% | 23.4 |
| Bellingham town | 18,032 | +6.4% | 18.3 |
| Westwood town | 16,426 | +1.1% | 10.9 |
| Medway town | 13,804 | +5.3% | 11.5 |
| Medfield town | 13,248 | +3.5% | 14.4 |
| Wrentham town | 12,453 | +2.2% | 21.7 |
| Norfolk town | 12,096 | +3.7% | 14.9 |
| Holbrook town | 11,401 | −0% | 7.255 |
| Plainville town | 10,175 | +2.4% | 11 |
| Millis town | 9,463 | +11.8% | 12 |
| Cohasset town | 8,461 | +0.8% | 9.783 |
| Dover town | 6,026 | +1.7% | 15.1 |
| Avon town | 4,861 | +1.8% | 4.291 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Norfolk County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Norfolk County is a central county of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metropolitan Statistical Area, in the Boston, MA metropolitan division. Its 7 county equivalents have 5,034,221 residents on 3,486.3 square miles of land; Norfolk County accounts for 11.4% of the land and 14.7% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #84 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #11 by population. It belongs to the Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Middlesex County | 1,669,979 | 817.9 |
| Essex County | 826,653 | 492.5 |
| Suffolk County | 791,891 | 58.3 |
| Norfolk County | 739,749 | 396.1 |
| Plymouth County | 546,829 | 658.5 |
| Rockingham CountyNew Hampshire | 324,077 | 695.6 |
| Strafford CountyNew Hampshire | 135,043 | 367.5 |
ZIP codes
41 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Norfolk County; 40 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
0201902021020250202602030020320203502038020520205302054020560206202067020710207202081020900209302169021700217102184021860218802189021900219102215023220234302368024450244602457024670248102482024920249402762
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Norfolk County
Norfolk County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents, including 1 in Rhode Island. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Worcester County (1,510.7 mi²) and the smallest is Suffolk County (58.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Norfolk County forms a block of 4,404.1 mi² of land, of which it holds 9%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Norfolk | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester County | 1,510.7 | 3.8× larger | Compare |
| Middlesex County | 817.9 | 2.1× larger | Compare |
| Plymouth County | 658.5 | 1.7× larger | Compare |
| Bristol County | 553.1 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Providence CountyRhode Island | 409.5 | about the same | Compare |
| Suffolk County | 58.3 | 6.8× smaller | Compare |
How big is Norfolk County compared with U.S. states?
Norfolk County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.6 times as much. Massachusetts’s county land could hold about 20 areas the size of Norfolk County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 19.9 miles (32 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Norfolk County?
Norfolk County has more land than 681 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Norfolk County at #2,366 nationally by total area, 175 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 10.9%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 9.7 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Norfolk County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2540 | Spencer County, Indiana | 396.9 | Compare |
| #2541 | Norfolk County, Massachusetts | 396.1 | This county |
| #2542 | Monroe County, Georgia | 396.1 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 42.171741, -71.181111. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,025,913,117 m²; AWATER: 124,943,462 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Norfolk County?
Norfolk County, Massachusetts has 396.1 square miles (1,025.9 km²) of land and 48.2 square miles of water, for a total area of 444.3 square miles. It ranks #2541 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Norfolk County the largest county in Massachusetts?
No. Norfolk County ranks #10 of 14 in Massachusetts by land area. The largest is Worcester County, with 1,510.7 square miles of land.
What counties border Norfolk County?
Norfolk County shares a land border with Middlesex County, Plymouth County, Bristol County, Suffolk County, Worcester County, and Providence County, Rhode Island.
What is the population of Norfolk County?
The Census Bureau estimates Norfolk County had 739,749 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #95 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 1,868 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Norfolk County?
The county seat of Norfolk County is Dedham.
What cities and towns are in Norfolk County?
Norfolk County has 28 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Quincy city, Brookline town, Weymouth Town city, Braintree Town city, and Randolph Town city.
Is Norfolk County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 7 county equivalents and 5,034,221 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Norfolk County?
41 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Norfolk County, and 40 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Norfolk County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.6 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Norfolk County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 253,508 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 284,383 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.