Sheriffs

There have been 21 sheriffs of Norfolk County.^[5]

Treasurers

Registers of Deeds

The Registry was originally housed in one of the first floor rooms of the home of Eliphalet Pond, the first registrar, at 963 Washington Street in Dedham.^[12] A sign was nailed to a tree out front informing the public of its location.^[12] It then moved to the original Norfolk County Courthouse and remained there for about three decades.^[12] When the new Norfolk County Courthouse was built in 1827, the middle office on the west side of the lower level was used by the Registry.^[12] When the population of the county grew and the number of real estate transactions increased apace, a new building was constructed for the Registry across the street at 649 High Street.^[12] The Boston firm Peabody & Stearns was hired to design the current Registry of Deeds, built in 1905. The main section of the building measures 52 feet by 186 feet, is two stories high with a copper hipped roof, and is built of Indiana limestone with details made of granite from Deer Isle, Maine.^[13]

Other

In the mid-1800s, Jonathan H. Cobb was the clerk of courts.^[6]

Adjacent counties

• Middlesex County (northwest)
• Suffolk County (north)
• Plymouth County (southeast)
• Bristol County (south)
• Providence County, Rhode Island (southwest)
• Worcester County (west)

National protected areas

• Adams National Historical Park
• Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (part)
• Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
• John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site

Major highways

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 650,308 people, 248,827 households, and 165,967 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,628 inhabitants per square mile (629/km²). There were 255,154 housing units at an average density of 639 per square mile (247/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.02% White or European American, 3.18% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 5.50% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. 1.84%.^[21] were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.6% were of Irish, 13.4% Italian, 7.7% English and 5.0% descendants of colonists ancestry according to Census 2000. 85.7% spoke English, 2.3% Chinese in any dialect, 2.0% Spanish, 1.0% Italian and 1.0% French as their first language.

Of the 248,827 households 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.20% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 26.80% of households were one person and 10.80% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.14.

The age distribution was 23.40% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 31.60% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.60 males.

The median household income was $63,432 and the median family income was $77,847 (these figures had risen to $77,294 and $95,243 respectively as of a 2007 estimate^[22]). Males had a median income of $51,301 versus $37,108 for females. The per capita income for the county was $32,484. About 2.90% of families and 4.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.40% of those under age 18 and 5.70% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 670,850 people, 257,914 households, and 168,903 families residing in the county.^[23] The population density was 1,693.6 inhabitants per square mile (653.9/km²). There were 270,359 housing units at an average density of 682.5 per square mile (263.5/km²).^[24] The racial makeup of the county was 82.3% white, 8.6% Asian, 5.7% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population.^[23] The largest ancestry groups were:^[25]

Of the 257,914 households, 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.5% were non-families, and 27.6% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.15. The median age was 40.7 years.^[23]

The median income for a household in the county was $81,027 and the median family income was $101,870. Males had a median income of $68,070 versus $51,870 for females. The per capita income for the county was $42,371. About 4.1% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.^[26]

Demographic breakdown by town

Religion

*congregations
**adherents

Current elected officials

All eligible voters of Norfolk County vote for three County Commissioners, a District Attorney, a Clerk of Courts, a Register of Deeds, a Sheriff, a County Treasurer, and a Register of Probate.

County Commissioners are elected for a four-year term; two Commissioners are elected to coincide with presidential elections, and one Commissioner is elected during the midterm elections. All three Commissioners must hail from a different municipality. The District Attorney is elected every four years coinciding with the midterm elections. The Clerk of Courts and Register of Deeds are elected every six years coinciding with the elections of Class I US Senators. The County Treasurer and Register of Probate are elected every six years coinciding with the elections of Class II US Senators. The Sheriff is elected every six years coinciding with the elections of Class III US Senators.

Cities

• Braintree
• Franklin
• Quincy (largest city)
• Randolph
• Weymouth

Towns

Note: West Roxbury (annexed to Boston 1874), Roxbury (annexed to Boston 1868), Dorchester (founded 1630, annexed to Boston 1870), Hyde Park (incorporated 1868 from Dorchester, Milton, and Dedham, annexed to Boston 1912), and Hingham and Hull were originally part of Norfolk County when the county was incorporated in 1793. As of August 2012, Hingham's Precinct 2 will be part of the Fourth Norfolk District.^[39]

Census-designated places