List of counties in Massachusetts

There are 14 counties in Massachusetts. Massachusetts has ended eight^[1] of its fourteen county governments. This leaves five counties with county-level local government (Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Norfolk, Plymouth) and one, Nantucket County, with combined county/city government.^[2] Counties are still generally recognized as geographic entities if not political ones.^[3]

Eleven other historical counties have been in Massachusetts. Most ended when their lands were absorbed into the colony of New Hampshire or the state of Maine.

1. ↑ "General Laws of Massachusetts, Chapter 34B. Abolition of County Government". Massachusetts General Court. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 8 June 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
3. ↑ "Historical Data Relating to the Incorporation of and Abolishment of Counties in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts". Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 14 January 2007.