Historical United States Census totals for Norfolk County, Massachusetts

This article shows U.S. Census totals for Norfolk County, Massachusetts, broken down by municipality, from 1900 to 2000.

Like most areas of New England, Norfolk County is (and has been at all times since well before the 20th century) entirely divided into incorporated municipalities. There is no unincorporated territory. For any census, adding up the totals for each municipality should yield the county total.

There are two types of municipalities in Massachusetts, towns and cities. The tables below differentiate between towns and cities.

For more information on the New England municipal system, see New England town.

Corporate changes since 1900

1900

County Total: 151,539

1910

County Total: 187,506

1920

County Total: 219,081

1930

County Total: 299,426

1940

County Total: 325,180

1950

County Total: 392,308

1960

County Total: 510,256

1970

County Total: 604,854

1980

County Total: 606,587

1990

County Total: 616,087

2000

County Total: 650,308

Notes

1970 Census

The Census Bureau made a number of revisions to 1970 census totals subsequent to their initial release. The 1970 total for Norfolk County was originally reported as 605,051; and for the town of Brookline, 58,886. The totals were later revised to those shown in the list above.

1990 Census

The Census Bureau made a number of revisions to 1990 census totals subsequent to their initial release. The 1990 total for the town of Walpole was originally reported as 20,212; and for the town of Norfolk, 9,270. The totals were later revised to those shown in the list above. This was apparently done to correct an assignment error between the two municipalities; the collective population of the two is the same using either set of figures, so the county total was not affected.

Special note regarding Franklin and Weymouth

Franklin and Weymouth are among eleven municipalities in Massachusetts whose status as towns or cities is a matter of some ambiguity. This ambiguity is the result of questions around the legal status of towns which have since the 1970s, through home-rule petition, adopted forms of government that resemble city government and do not include the elements traditionally associated with town government (e.g., a board of selectmen, a town meeting). Of the eleven communities that have done so, all but one have generally continued to use the title "town" and are usually referred to by residents as "towns", but the Massachusetts Secretary of State's Office considers all eleven to be legally cities. Other sources within state government often refer to all eleven municipalities as towns, however. Massachusetts seems to be the only New England state where this type of issue has arisen, even though other New England states also have municipalities which have adopted what amount to city forms of government but continue to call themselves "towns". In the other states, it does not appear that any need to officially label such municipalities as "cities" has been identified.

For purposes of the New England town page and its attendant pages, the ten affected communities which call themselves "towns", including Franklin and Weymouth, are classified as towns. The reader should be aware, however, that some sources will identify these municipalities as cities. Franklin adopted its present form of government in 1979; it is unclear when Weymouth did.

The Census Bureau has been inconsistent in its handling of these municipalities. The Census Bureau listed all as towns through the 1990 Census. For the 2000 Census, some were inexplicably listed as towns and some as cities, a situation which continues in current Census materials. In the 2000 Census, Franklin was one of those listed as a city, but Weymouth was listed as a town. As of 2006, Weymouth is still shown as a town in current Census materials.

See also

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