Massachusetts county geography overview
Massachusetts has 14 counties, which places it 44th among the 50 state and District of Columbia maps in this atlas when ordered by number of county-level units. Their combined 7,801 square miles of land place the state 45th by mapped land area.
The average county-level area is 557 square miles, while the median is 540 square miles. The median is often the better description of a typical unit because one or two very large areas can pull the average upward. The five largest units together account for about 59% of the state’s mapped land area.
Largest and smallest Massachusetts counties
Worcester County is the largest county-level unit by land area at 1,510.7 square miles. It represents about 19% of all mapped land in Massachusetts. At the other end of the range, Nantucket County has 46.2 square miles of land.
Largest by land area
- Worcester County1,510.7 sq mi
- Berkshire County926.9 sq mi
- Middlesex County817.9 sq mi
- Franklin County699.2 sq mi
- Plymouth County658.5 sq mi
Smallest by land area
- Nantucket County46.2 sq mi
- Suffolk County58.3 sq mi
- Dukes County103.2 sq mi
- Barnstable County394.2 sq mi
- Norfolk County396.1 sq mi
Rankings use land area rather than total area. This avoids making coastal or lake counties appear larger solely because their boundaries include extensive water.
Alphabetical list of Massachusetts counties
The table is alphabetical, so it works as a name and FIPS-code reference rather than an area ranking. Every identifier begins with the Massachusetts state FIPS prefix 25. Land and water figures are rounded to one decimal place.
14 county-level areas
Download county data / numbered map key (CSV)| No. | Name | FIPS code | Land area | Water area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barnstable County | 25001 | 394.2 sq mi | 911.4 sq mi |
| 2 | Berkshire County | 25003 | 926.9 sq mi | 19.6 sq mi |
| 3 | Bristol County | 25005 | 553.1 sq mi | 138 sq mi |
| 4 | Dukes County | 25007 | 103.2 sq mi | 387.8 sq mi |
| 5 | Essex County | 25009 | 492.5 sq mi | 336 sq mi |
| 6 | Franklin County | 25011 | 699.2 sq mi | 25.3 sq mi |
| 7 | Hampden County | 25013 | 617 sq mi | 17.1 sq mi |
| 8 | Hampshire County | 25015 | 527.2 sq mi | 18 sq mi |
| 9 | Middlesex County | 25017 | 817.9 sq mi | 29 sq mi |
| 10 | Nantucket County | 25019 | 46.2 sq mi | 257.5 sq mi |
| 11 | Norfolk County | 25021 | 396.1 sq mi | 48.2 sq mi |
| 12 | Plymouth County | 25023 | 658.5 sq mi | 434.8 sq mi |
| 13 | Suffolk County | 25025 | 58.3 sq mi | 62 sq mi |
| 14 | Worcester County | 25027 | 1,510.7 sq mi | 68.5 sq mi |
How to read and use this map
County lines are administrative boundaries, not postal routes. A mailing address can use a city name associated with a neighboring area, and ZIP codes can cross county lines. When you need to identify a county for an address, confirm it with an official geocoder or local government source.
For classroom or planning use, download a PDF from the controls above. Labelled exports use numbered callouts for crowded areas; numbered quiz maps match the alphabetical county list. SVG files keep the boundary lines sharp at larger paper sizes.
Interpreting the water figure: About 26% of the summed mapped area in this state is water. County water area can include coastal waters, bays, lakes, or rivers assigned by the Census boundary file; it is shown separately from land and should not be used to estimate developable land.
Frequently asked questions
How many counties are in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts has 14 counties in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2025 cartographic boundary file.
Can I print this Massachusetts county map?
Yes. Choose Download / print and select PDF for a landscape Letter page, PNG for an image, or SVG for editable vector artwork. Because the map is SVG, its boundary lines stay sharp when scaled.
What is the largest county in Massachusetts?
Worcester County is the largest by land area in this dataset at 1,510.7 square miles. This is an area ranking, not a population ranking.
What is the smallest county in Massachusetts?
Nantucket County is the smallest by land area in this dataset at 46.2 square miles.
Are these legal survey boundaries?
No. This is a generalized reference map. Property, parcel, election, and legal boundary questions should be checked with the relevant state or local agency.
Map source
U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary File, Counties, 1:5,000,000. Land and water area fields are supplied in the same file and converted from square meters to square miles. Accessed September 27, 2026.