Plymouth County, Massachusetts


Plymouth County is a county in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 494,919. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton. In 1685, the County was created by the Plymouth General Court, the legislature of Plymouth Colony, predating its annexation by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Plymouth County is part of the
Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the third-largest county in Massachusetts by total area.

Adjacent counties

The towns of Hingham and Hull in Plymouth County extend north of Norfolk County and face onto Massachusetts Bay, sharing a northern water boundary with Suffolk County.

Demographics

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 472,822 people, 168,361 households, and 122,398 families in the county. The population density was 716 people per square mile. There were 181,524 housing units at an average density of 275 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 88.70% White, 4.56% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.06% from other races, and 2.52% from two or more races. 2.44%. were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.0% were of Irish, 12.8% Italian, 10.6% English and 5.1% American ancestry, 90.1% spoke English, 2.5% Spanish, 2.3% Portuguese, 1.5% French Creole and 1.0% French as their first language.
Of the 168,361 households 36.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.00% were married couples living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.30% were non-families. 22.20% of households were one person and 9.00% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.23.
The age distribution was 26.80% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.
The median household income was $55,615 and the median family income was $65,554. Males had a median income of $45,535 versus $31,389 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,789. About 4.90% of families and 6.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.30% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.
The leading ancestry group in Plymouth County is Irish, with 31%. Plymouth County, along with Norfolk County, Massachusetts, claims the highest percentage of people with Irish ancestry in the United States.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 494,919 people, 181,126 households, and 127,925 families in the county. The population density was. There were 200,161 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 85.5% white, 7.2% black or African American, 1.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 3.2% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.7% were Irish, 15.8% were Italian, 15.3% were English, 7.3% were German, and 3.7% were American.
Of the 181,126 households, 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.4% were non-families, and 23.8% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.18. The median age was 41.1 years.
The median household income was $73,131 and the median family income was $86,251. Males had a median income of $60,303 versus $43,837 for females. The per capita income for the county was $33,333. About 5.0% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Demographic breakdown by town

Income

The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list are reflective if the census designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns. Data is from the 2007–2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
RankTownPer capita
income		Median
household
income		Median
family
income		PopulationNumber of
households
DuxburyCDP$80,077$113,672$218,5421,459555
South DuxburyCDP$68,911$139,712$169,6713,4351,260
HinghamCDP$61,486$104,926$134,6375,8562,117
The PinehillsCDP$58,507$91,875$115,819922488
1HinghamTown$56,671$99,318$132,74421,9168,046
2DuxburyTown$55,510$122,396$139,87314,9785,256
3NorwellTown$48,440$109,167$118,67910,4303,468
Green HarborCDP$47,993$128,828$134,1572,245876
Marshfield HillsCDP$47,593$102,344$135,3962,485916
4ScituateTown$47,122$89,485$111,89318,1156,957
Marion CenterCDP$45,404$83,413$97,1021,081435
5MarionTown$43,383$87,793$90,5364,9261,873
6HullTown$43,290$72,036$95,96410,3914,672
North ScituateCDP$43,214$84,712$107,6065,3941,955
Ocean Bluff-Brant RockCDP$42,296$77,245$89,9404,7051,920
7MarshfieldTown$42,269$93,743$110,75625,0599,322
ScituateCDP$40,337$69,388$107,6475,2012,169
8HanoverTown$39,631$100,982$114,48413,8134,729
North LakevilleCDP$39,363$67,361$103,4562,174840
9MattapoisettTown$39,312$82,065$95,5686,0732,436
10KingstonTown$37,783$77,288$86,48912,5564,624
11PlymptonTown$37,755$93,882$102,7732,799991
KingstonCDP$36,335$67,292$75,6715,6952,250
MarshfieldCDP$36,112$71,938$100,8554,5011,838
12PembrokeTown$35,228$82,064$98,15617,7406,291
MassachusettsState$35,051$65,981$83,3716,512,2272,522,409
13LakevilleTown$35,010$93,260$104,41610,5333,586
Plymouth CenterCDP$34,997$51,463$80,9246,9003,177
14RochesterTown$34,994$98,728$104,4965,1591,699
15HalifaxTown$34,880$83,522$89,4567,5162,798
Mattapoisett CenterCDP$34,877$65,034$85,7582,8981,223
Plymouth CountyCounty$34,285$74,698$88,110492,934178,996
16PlymouthTown$33,891$76,631$90,76456,01120,946
17West BridgewaterTown$33,590$80,729$95,1826,8962,432
18AbingtonTown$33,386$81,677$92,83915,8415,962
19HansonTown$32,864$89,000$96,70510,1483,436
North PembrokeCDP$32,239$74,866$80,7763,0901,180
20East BridgewaterTown$31,802$79,676$98,11313,7044,682
21WhitmanTown$31,378$74,610$87,71314,4305,192
22MiddleboroughTown$31,179$73,490$85,76922,8078,059
West WarehamCDP$31,166$43,029$63,4522,178963
HansonCDP$30,630$88,750$95,0851,932666
23RocklandTown$30,325$63,896$74,20317,5156,912
24BridgewaterTown$29,460$88,697$101,64126,5087,927
25CarverTown$29,176$70,608$85,99611,4814,286
26WarehamTown$28,066$52,556$64,89121,6739,176
United StatesCountry$27,915$52,762$64,293306,603,772114,761,359
WeweanticCDP$27,543$45,833$51,5632,008870
North PlymouthCDP$27,533$54,000$77,9523,7401,452
OnsetCDP$27,391$41,458$44,5071,026605
Wareham CenterCDP$27,391$45,392$54,3573,1221,533
Middleborough CenterCDP$26,763$59,112$76,1116,5932,407
White Island ShoresCDP$25,656$88,519$91,2502,186680
BridgewaterCDP$22,994$60,744$79,6217,7242,359
27BrocktonCity$22,312$49,848$57,22893,91633,238

Government and politics

From the late 19th to late 20th centuries, Plymouth County was a Republican Party stronghold in presidential elections. From 1876 to 1988, only three Democrats carried the county: Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, and Jimmy Carter. Since 1992, however, it has become solidly Democratic, though less so relative to other counties in the state.
The executive authority of the County government is vested in the County Commissioners. The current Commissioners are Chairman Sandra M. Wright, Gregory M. Hanley, and Daniel A. Pallotta. Register of Deeds John R. Buckley, Jr., Sheriff Joseph D. McDonald, County Treasurer Thomas J. O'Brien, and Clerk of Courts Robert S. Creedon. Jr., also serve as elected officials of the county of Plymouth.

County seal

The seal was adopted by the Plymouth County Commissioners on March 31, 1931 under the authority of the General Laws, Chapter 34, Section 14, and was designed by Frederic T. Bailey of North Scituate who was, at that time and for many years, Chairman of the county commissioners.
Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 17, 2018Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 17, 2018Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 17, 2018Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 17, 2018Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 17, 2018Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 17, 2018
PartyPartyNumber of votersPercentage--

Media

For television, the city is served by the Boston and Providence media markets; no television stations are located within the county.
Radio stations located in Plymouth County include:
Call signFrequencyCity of licenseLicenseeFormat
WATD-FM95.9 FMMarshfieldMarshfield Broadcasting Co., Inc.Adult contemporary
WBMS1460 AMBrocktonMarshfield Broadcasting Co., Inc.Adult contemporary
WBIM-FM91.5 FMBridgewaterBridgewater State UniversityCollege radio, alternative
WKAF97.7 FMBrocktoniHM Licenses, LLCUrban adult contemporary
WPLM1390 AMPlymouthPlymouth Rock Broadcasting Co., Inc.Various
WPLM-FM99.1 FMPlymouthPlymouth Rock Broadcasting Co., Inc.Adult contemporary
WRPS88.3 FMRocklandRockland Public SchoolsHigh school radio
WSMA90.5 FMScituateCalvary Chapel of Twin Falls, Inc.Religious
WVBF1530 AMMiddleborough CenterSteven J. CallahanTalking Information Center
WWTA88.5 FMMarionTabor AcademyHigh school radio
WZBR1410 AMDedhamKingdom ChurchContemporary Christian music

The first radio broadcast in history was made in 1906, from the Brant Rock neighborhood in the town of Marshfield.
The Brockton Enterprise is the only daily newspaper published in the county, although the Quincy Patriot Ledger has extensive coverage of the South Shore of Massachusetts generally and Plymouth County in particular.
There are numerous weekly newspapers published in the county, including:
Many were operated by the Memorial Press Group, based in Plymouth, until the chain was sold to GateHouse Media in 2006. The flagship of the group was the Old Colony Memorial, the oldest continually published weekly newspaper in New England, first published in 1822.

Communities

Cities