Historical U.S. 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

*1905 - New town of Plainville formed from Wrentham

*1912 - Hyde Park was annexed by the City of Boston (which is in neighboring Suffolk County; upon Hyde Park’s annexation by Boston, its territory became part of Suffolk County)

1900

County Total: 151,539

*Quincy (city) 23,899
*Brookline 19,935
*Hyde Park 13,244
*Weymouth 11,324
*Dedham 7,457
*Milton 6,578
*Braintree 5,981
*Norwood 5,480
*Stoughton 5,442
*Wellesley 5,072
*Franklin 5,017
*Canton 4,584
*Needham 4,016
*Randolph 3,993
*Walpole 3,572
*Foxborough 3,266
*Medfield 2,926
*Medway 2,761
*Cohasset 2,759
*Wrentham 2,720
*Holbrook 2,229
*Sharon 2,060
*Avon 1,741
*Bellingham 1,682
*Westwood 1,112
*Millis 1,053
*Norfolk 980
*Dover 656

1910

County Total: 187,506

*Quincy (city) 32,642
*Brookline 27,792
*Hyde Park 15,507
*Weymouth 12,895
*Dedham 9,284
*Braintree 8,066
*Norwood 8,014
*Milton 7,924
*Stoughton 6,316
*Franklin 5,641
*Wellesley 5,413
*Needham 5,026
*Walpole 4,892
*Canton 4,797
*Randolph 4,301
*Foxborough 3,863
*Medfield 3,466
*Holbrook 2,816
*Medway 2,696
*Cohasset 2,585
*Sharon 2,310
*Avon 2,013
*Wrentham 1,743
*Bellingham 1,696
*Millis 1,399
*Plainville 1,385
*Westwood 1,266
*Norfolk 960
*Dover 798

1920

County Total: 219,081

*Quincy (city) 47,876
*Brookline 37,748
*Weymouth 15,057
*Norwood 12,627
*Dedham 10,792
*Braintree 10,580
*Milton 9,382
*Needham 7,012
*Stoughton 6,865
*Franklin 6,497
*Wellesley 6,224
*Canton 5,945
*Walpole 5,446
*Randolph 4,756
*Foxborough 4,136
*Medfield 3,595
*Holbrook 3,161
*Medway 2,956
*Wrentham 2,808
*Cohasset 2,639
*Sharon 2,467
*Avon 2,176
*Bellingham 2,102
*Millis 1,485
*Plainville 1,365
*Westwood 1,358
*Norfolk 1,159
*Dover 867

1930

County Total: 299,426

*Quincy (city) 71,983
*Brookline 47,490
*Weymouth 20,882
*Milton 16,434
*Braintree 15,712
*Dedham 15,136
*Norwood 15,049
*Wellesley 11,439
*Needham 10,845
*Stoughton 8,204
*Walpole 7,273
*Franklin 7,028
*Randolph 6,553
*Canton 5,816
*Foxborough 5,347
*Medfield 4,066
*Wrentham 3,584
*Holbrook 3,353
*Sharon 3,351
*Bellingham 3,189
*Medway 3,153
*Cohasset 3,083
*Avon 2,414
*Westwood 2,097
*Millis 1,738
*Plainville 1,583
*Norfolk 1,429
*Dover 1,195

1940

County Total: 325,180

*Quincy (city) 75,810
*Brookline 49,786
*Weymouth 23,868
*Milton 18,708
*Braintree 16,378
*Dedham 15,508
*Norwood 15,383
*Wellesley 15,127
*Needham 12,445
*Stoughton 8,632
*Randolph 7,634
*Walpole 7,443
*Franklin 7,303
*Canton 6,381
*Foxborough 6,303
*Wrentham 4,674
*Medfield 4,384
*Sharon 3,737
*Westwood 3,376
*Holbrook 3,330
*Medway 3,297
*Cohasset 3,111
*Bellingham 2,979
*Avon 2,335
*Norfolk 2,294
*Millis 2,278
*Dover 1,374
*Plainville 1,302

1950

County Total: 392,308

*Quincy (city) 83,835
*Brookline 57,589
*Weymouth 32,690
*Braintree 23,161
*Milton 22,395
*Wellesley 20,549
*Dedham 18,487
*Norwood 16,636
*Needham 16,313
*Stoughton 11,146
*Randolph 9,982
*Walpole 9,109
*Franklin 8,037
*Canton 7,465
*Foxborough 7,030
*Westwood 5,837
*Wrentham 5,341
*Sharon 4,847
*Medfield 4,549
*Bellingham 4,100
*Holbrook 4,004
*Medway 3,744
*Cohasset 3,731
*Norfolk 2,704
*Avon 2,666
*Millis 2,551
*Plainville 2,088
*Dover 1,722

1960

County Total: 510,256

*Quincy (city) 87,409
*Brookline 54,044
*Weymouth 48,177
*Braintree 31,069
*Milton 26,375
*Wellesley 26,071
*Needham 25,793
*Norwood 24,898
*Dedham 23,869
*Randolph 18,900
*Stoughton 16,328
*Walpole 14,068
*Canton 12,771
*Franklin 10,530
*Foxborough 10,136
*Westwood 10,354
*Holbrook 10,104
*Sharon 10,070
*Bellingham 6,774
*Wrentham 6,685
*Medfield 6,021
*Cohasset 5,840
*Medway 5,168
*Millis 4,374
*Avon 4,301
*Plainville 3,810
*Norfolk 3,471
*Dover 2,846

1970

County Total: 604,854

*Quincy (city) 87,966
*Brookline 58,689
*Weymouth 54,610
*Braintree 35,050
*Norwood 30,815
*Needham 29,748
*Wellesley 28,051
*Milton 27,190
*Randolph 27,035
*Dedham 26,938
*Stoughton 23,459
*Walpole 18,149
*Franklin 17,830
*Canton 17,100
*Foxborough 14,218
*Bellingham 13,967
*Westwood 12,750
*Sharon 12,367
*Holbrook 11,775
*Medfield 9,821
*Medway 7,938
*Wrentham 7,315
*Cohasset 6,954
*Millis 5,686
*Avon 5,295
*Plainville 4,953
*Norfolk 4,656
*Dover 4,529

1980

County Total: 606,587

*Quincy (city) 84,743
*Weymouth 55,601
*Brookline 55,062
*Braintree 36,337
*Norwood 29,711
*Randolph 28,218
*Needham 27,901
*Wellesley 27,209
*Stoughton 26,710
*Milton 25,860
*Dedham 25,298
*Walpole 18,859
*Franklin 18,217
*Canton 18,182
*Bellingham 14,300
*Foxborough 14,148
*Sharon 13,601
*Westwood 13,212
*Holbrook 11,140
*Medfield 10,220
*Medway 8,447
*Wrentham 7,580
*Cohasset 7,174
*Millis 6,908
*Norfolk 6,363
*Plainville 5,857
*Avon 5,026
*Dover 4,703

1990

County Total: 616,087

*Quincy (city) 84,985
*Brookline 54,718
*Weymouth 54,063
*Braintree 33,836
*Randolph 30,093
*Norwood 28,700
*Needham 27,557
*Stoughton 26,777
*Wellesley 26,615
*Milton 25,725
*Dedham 23,782
*Franklin 22,095
*Walpole 20,223
*Canton 18,530
*Sharon 15,517
*Bellingham 14,877
*Foxborough 14,637
*Westwood 12,557
*Holbrook 11,041
*Medfield 10,531
*Medway 9,931
*Norfolk 9,259
*Wrentham 9,006
*Millis 7,613
*Cohasset 7,075
*Plainville 6,871
*Dover 4,915
*Avon 4,558

2000

County Total: 650,308

*Quincy (city) 88,025
*Brookline 57,107
*Weymouth 53,988
*Braintree 33,828
*Randolph 30,963
*Franklin 29,560
*Needham 28,911
*Norwood 28,587
*Stoughton 27,149
*Wellesley 26,613
*Milton 26,062
*Dedham 23,464
*Walpole 22,824
*Canton 20,775
*Sharon 17,408
*Foxborough 16,246
*Bellingham 15,314
*Westwood 14,117
*Medfield 12,273
*Medway 12,448
*Holbrook 10,785
*Norfolk 10,460
*Wrentham 10,554
*Millis 7,902
*Plainville 7,683
*Cohasset 7,261
*Dover 5,558
*Avon 4,443

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.

pecial 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.

ee also

*United States Census
*Norfolk County, Massachusetts