Historical United States Census totals for Barnstable County, Massachusetts

Population trends for Barnstable County municipalities from 1900-2010

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 are no unincorporated territories. 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

1910

County Total: 27,542

1920

County Total: 26,670

1930

County Total: 32,305

1940

County Total: 37,295

1950

County Total: 46,805

1960

County Total: 70,286

1970

County Total: 96,656

1980

County Total: 147,925

1990

County Total: 186,605

2000

County Total: 222,230

2010

County Total: 216,902

Notes

Special 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”. The 2010 census lists Barnstable as "Barnstable town city."

See also

External links

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