| Plymouth County, Massachusetts | ||
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Location in the state of Massachusetts |
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Massachusetts's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1685 | |
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| Seat | Plymouth and Brockton | |
| Largest city | Brockton | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,093.39 sq mi (2,832 km²) 660.85 sq mi (1,712 km²) 432.54 sq mi (1,120 km²), 39.56% |
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| Population - (2010) - Density |
494,919 749/sq mi (289/km²) |
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| Website | www.plymouthcountycommissioners.org | |
Plymouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2010, the population was 494,919. Its county seats[1] are Plymouth and Brockton.[2] In 1685 the County was created by the Plymouth General Court, the legislature of Plymouth Colony, predating its annexation by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
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According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1,093.39 square miles (2,831.9 km2), of which 660.85 square miles (1,711.6 km2) (or 60.44%) is land and 432.54 square miles (1,120.3 km2) (or 39.56%) is water.[3]
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.
| Norfolk County | ||||
| Bristol County | Cape Cod Bay | |||
| Plymouth County, Massachusetts | ||||
| Buzzards Bay | Barnstable County |
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 29,512 |
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| 1800 | 30,073 | 1.9% | |
| 1810 | 35,169 | 16.9% | |
| 1820 | 38,136 | 8.4% | |
| 1830 | 43,044 | 12.9% | |
| 1840 | 47,373 | 10.1% | |
| 1850 | 55,697 | 17.6% | |
| 1860 | 64,768 | 16.3% | |
| 1870 | 65,365 | 0.9% | |
| 1880 | 74,018 | 13.2% | |
| 1890 | 92,700 | 25.2% | |
| 1900 | 113,985 | 23.0% | |
| 1910 | 144,337 | 26.6% | |
| 1920 | 156,968 | 8.8% | |
| 1930 | 162,311 | 3.4% | |
| 1940 | 168,824 | 4.0% | |
| 1950 | 189,468 | 12.2% | |
| 1960 | 248,449 | 31.1% | |
| 1970 | 333,314 | 34.2% | |
| 1980 | 405,437 | 21.6% | |
| 1990 | 435,276 | 7.4% | |
| 2000 | 472,822 | 8.6% | |
| 2010 | 494,919 | 4.7% | |
| [4][5][6] | |||
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 472,822 people, 168,361 households, and 122,398 families residing in the county. The population density was 716 people per square mile (276/km²). There were 181,524 housing units at an average density of 275 per square mile (106/km²). 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% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.0% were of Irish, 12.8% Italian, 10.6% English and 5.1% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 90.1% spoke English, 2.5% Spanish, 2.3% Portuguese, 1.5% French Creole and 1.0% French as their first language.
There were 168,361 households out of which 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 all households were made up of individuals and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the county the population was spread out with 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% who were 65 years of age 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 income for a household in the county was $55,615, and the median income for a family was $65,554 (these figures had risen to $70,335 and $82,560 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[8]). 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.[1]
| Year | Democrat | Republican |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 52.8% 131,817 | 45.2% 112,904 |
| 2004 | 53.7% 125,178 | 45.3% 105,603 |
| 2000 | 54.5% 115,376 | 39.1% 82,751 |
The executive authority of the County government is vested in the County Commissioners. The current Commissioners are Anthony O'Brien (R- Marshfield),[10] John Patrick Riordan, Jr.[11] (D- Marshfield), and Sandra Wright[11] (R- Bridgewater). Register of Deeds John R. Buckley, Jr.[12] (D- Brockton), County Treasurer Thomas J. O'Brien[13] (D- Kingston) and Sheriff Joseph D. McDonald[14] (R- Kingston), also serve as elected officials of the county of Plymouth.
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 15, 2008[15] | |||||
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| Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
| Democratic | 97,233 | 29.61% | |||
| Republican | 45,832 | 13.96% | |||
| Unaffiliated | 183,244 | 55.80% | |||
| Minor Parties | 2,092 | 0.64% | |||
| Total | 328,401 | 100% | |||
* Villages are census division, but have no separate corporate existence from the towns they are in.
For television, the city is served by the Boston and the Providence media markets; no television stations are located within the county.
Radio stations located in Plymouth County include:
| Call sign | Frequency | City of License [16][17] | Licensee [17][18] | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WATD-FM | 95.9 FM | Marshfield | Marshfield Broadcasting Co., Inc. | Adult Contemporary |
| WBIM-FM | 91.5 FM | Bridgewater | Bridgewater State College | College Radio, Alternative |
| WKAF | 97.7 FM | Brockton | Entercom Boston License, LLC | Active Rock |
| WMSX | 1410 AM | Brockton | Kingdom Church | Contemporary Christian music |
| WPLM | 1390 AM | Plymouth | Plymouth Rock Broadcasting Co., Inc. | Various |
| WPLM-FM | 99.1 FM | Plymouth | Plymouth Rock Broadcasting Co., Inc. | Adult contemporary |
| WRPS | 88.3 FM | Rockland | Rockland Public Schools | High school radio |
| WSMA | 90.5 FM | Scituate | Calvary Chapel of Twin Falls, Inc. | Religious |
| WVBF | 1530 AM | Middleborough Center | Steven J. Callahan | Talking Information Center |
| WWTA | 88.5 FM | Marion | Tabor Academy | High school radio |
| WXBR | 1460 AM | Brockton | BTR Boston, Inc. | News/talk |
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.
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