588,593 people (2024 Census estimate, +2.0% since 2020)
553 square miles of land · 1,064 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
29 active community water systems list Bristol County in the area they serve, reporting 629,223 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| INIMA USA / AQUARIA LLC surface water · private · MA4076004 | 105,643 served |
| CITY OF NEW BEDFORD DPI surface water · local government · MA4201000 | 101,079 served |
| FALL RIVER WATER DEPARTMENT surface water · local government · MA4095000 | 94,000 served |
| TAUNTON WATER DIVISION surface water · local government · MA4293000 | 62,165 served |
| ATTLEBORO WATER DEPT surface water · local government · MA4016000 | 46,461 served |
| NORTH ATTLEBORO WATER DEPT groundwater · local government · MA4211000 | 31,410 served |
| EASTON WATER DIV groundwater · local government · MA4088000 | 25,058 served |
| DARTMOUTH WATER DIVISION buys surface water · local government · MA4072000 | 24,696 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 650 people were held in Bristol County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2025). In 2020 it was about 709.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
24 school districts have their office in Bristol County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $339.2 million — $320.4 million to run schools, about $25,345 per student, plus $10.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $7.1 million local (mostly property tax), $243.4 million state, $36.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $32.7 million.
Spent $280.4 million — $263.8 million to run schools, about $25,076 per student, plus $6.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $10.3 million local (mostly property tax), $203.7 million state, $36.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $121.7 million.
Spent $166.4 million — $154.2 million to run schools, about $19,263 per student, plus $4.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $35.7 million local (mostly property tax), $99.1 million state, $23.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $27.5 million.
Spent $160.3 million — $111.9 million to run schools, about $18,770 per student, plus $40.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $81.6 million local (mostly property tax), $72 million state, $9.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $129.6 million.
Spent $94.1 million — $92.1 million to run schools, about $19,345 per student, plus $366,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $58.8 million local (mostly property tax), $29.5 million state, $4.2 million federal.
Spent $75.5 million — $74.3 million to run schools, about $18,812 per student, plus $359,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $29.9 million local (mostly property tax), $30.3 million state, $6.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $2.3 million.
Spent $84.3 million — $81.7 million to run schools, about $23,575 per student, plus $925,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $47.1 million local (mostly property tax), $29.9 million state, $4 million federal. Long-term debt: $595,000.
Spent $86.8 million — $63 million to run schools, about $18,319 per student, plus $20.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.4 million local (mostly property tax), $27.7 million state, $3.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $49.7 million.
And 16 more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Moderate compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Bristol County about $87.3 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very High; social vulnerability: Relatively Low.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
387 bridges in Bristol County: 114 in good condition, 246 fair, and 27 poor (7.0%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| I 495 NB over HWY SCHOOL ST · built 1978 | 70,813 vehicles a day |
| I 195 over COMB MACRR/PURCHASE ST · built 1965 | 62,062 vehicles a day |
| I 195 over HWY COUNTY&STATE STS · built 1965 | 62,062 vehicles a day |
| I 195 over ST 18 ASHLEY BLVD · built 1965 | 62,062 vehicles a day |
| ST 24 over ST140 COUNTY ST · built 1951 | 50,018 vehicles a day |
| I 195 EB over WATER PALMER RIVER · built 1960 | 44,535 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $301.4 million of work in Bristol County in fiscal 2025, about $520 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
State election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting: 2026-10-17 to 2026-10-30. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-24. Mail ballot request deadline: 2026-10-27. Election Day: 2026-11-03. Last day for mailed ballots to arrive: 2026-11-06.
Source: Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2026 Information for Voters, p. 4 · Cambridge Election Commission, 2026 State Election guide (return deadlines) · Mass. General Laws ch. 54, sec. 93
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Bristol County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Bristol County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Massachusetts: the state government and every county in Massachusetts.
Nearby counties: Bristol County, RI (11 mi) · Newport County, RI (20 mi) · Plymouth County (24 mi) · Kent County, RI (26 mi) · Providence County, RI (27 mi) · Norfolk County (30 mi).