Historical U.S. Census Totals for Barnstable County, Massachusetts

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

Like most areas of New England, Barnstable 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 in the New England Historical U.S. Census Totals series differentiate between towns and cities; however, there have never been any cities in Barnstable County.

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

Corporate changes since 1900

There have been no changes in Barnstable County's municipality roster since 1900.

1900

County Total: 27,826

*Barnstable 4,364
*Provincetown 4,247
*Falmouth 3,500
*Harwich 2,334
*Dennis 2,333
*Chatham 1,749
*Yarmouth 1,682
*Bourne 1,657
*Sandwich 1,448
*Orleans 1,123
*Wellfleet 988
*Brewster 829
*Truro 767
*Eastham 502
*Mashpee 303

1910

County Total: 27,542

*Barnstable 4,676
*Provincetown 4,369
*Falmouth 3,144
*Bourne 2,474
*Harwich 2,115
*Dennis 1,919
*Sandwich 1,688
*Chatham 1,564
*Yarmouth 1,420
*Orleans 1,077
*Wellfleet 1,022
*Truro 655
*Brewster 631
*Eastham 518
*Mashpee 270

1920

County Total: 26,670

*Barnstable 4,836
*Provincetown 4,246
*Falmouth 3,500
*Bourne 2,530
*Harwich 1,846
*Chatham 1,737
*Dennis 1,536
*Sandwich 1,458
*Yarmouth 1,229
*Orleans 1,012
*Wellfleet 826
*Brewster 688
*Truro 554
*Eastham 430
*Mashpee 242

1930

County Total: 32,305

*Barnstable 7,271
*Falmouth 4,821
*Provincetown 3,808
*Bourne 2,895
*Harwich 2,329
*Chatham 1,931
*Dennis 1,829
*Yarmouth 1,794
*Sandwich 1,437
*Orleans 1,181
*Wellfleet 823
*Brewster 769
*Truro 513
*Eastham 543
*Mashpee 361

1940

County Total: 37,295

*Barnstable 8,333
*Falmouth 6,878
*Provincetown 3,668
*Bourne 3,315
*Harwich 2,535
*Yarmouth 2,286
*Chatham 2,136
*Dennis 2,015
*Orleans 1,451
*Sandwich 1,360
*Wellfleet 890
*Brewster 827
*Truro 585
*Eastham 582
*Mashpee 434

1950

County Total: 46,805

*Barnstable 10,480
*Falmouth 8,662
*Bourne 4,720
*Provincetown 3,795
*Yarmouth 3,297
*Harwich 2,649
*Dennis 2,499
*Chatham 2,457
*Sandwich 2,418
*Orleans 1,759
*Wellfleet 1,123
*Brewster 987
*Eastham 860
*Truro 661
*Mashpee 438

1960

County Total: 70,286

*Bourne 14,011
*Barnstable 13,465
*Falmouth 13,037
*Yarmouth 5,504
*Harwich 3,747
*Dennis 3,727
*Provincetown 3,389
*Chatham 3,273
*Orleans 2,342
*Sandwich 2,082
*Wellfleet 1,404
*Brewster 1,236
*Eastham 1,200
*Truro 1,002
*Mashpee 867

1970

County Total: 96,656

*Barnstable 19,842
*Falmouth 15,942
*Bourne 12,636
*Yarmouth 12,033
*Harwich 5,892
*Dennis 6,454
*Sandwich 5,239
*Chatham 4,554
*Orleans 3,055
*Provincetown 2,911
*Eastham 2,043
*Brewster 1,790
*Wellfleet 1,743
*Mashpee 1,288
*Truro 1,234

1980

County Total: 147,925

*Barnstable 30,898
*Falmouth 23,640
*Yarmouth 18,449
*Bourne 13,874
*Dennis 12,360
*Harwich 8,971
*Sandwich 8,727
*Chatham 6,071
*Orleans 5,306
*Brewster 5,226
*Mashpee 3,700
*Provincetown 3,536
*Eastham 3,472
*Wellfleet 2,209
*Truro 1,486

1990

County Total: 186,605

*Barnstable 40,949
*Falmouth 27,960
*Yarmouth 21,174
*Bourne 16,064
*Sandwich 15,489
*Dennis 13,864
*Harwich 10,275
*Brewster 8,440
*Mashpee 7,884
*Chatham 6,579
*Orleans 5,838
*Eastham 4,462
*Provincetown 3,561
*Wellfleet 2,493
*Truro 1,573

2000

County Total: 222,230

*Barnstable 47,821
*Falmouth 32,660
*Yarmouth 24,807
*Sandwich 20,136
*Bourne 18,721
*Dennis 15,973
*Mashpee 12,946
*Harwich 12,386
*Brewster 10,094
*Chatham 6,625
*Orleans 6,341
*Eastham 5,453
*Provincetown 3,431
*Wellfleet 2,749
*Truro 2,087

Notes

pecial note regarding the town of Barnstable

Barnstable is 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 Barnstable, are classified as towns. The reader should be aware, however, that some sources will identify these municipalities as cities. Barnstable adopted its present form of government in 1989.

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, Barnstable was one of those listed as a city, but under the name “Barnstable Town”.

ee also

*United States Census
*Barnstable County, Massachusetts