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Bars in Massachusetts

How many bars exist per person present (residents + daytime workers) across the 10 Massachusetts counties we cover, by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Data: Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024 + BLS QCEW.

Includes: Bars & taverns · Pubs & brewpubs (drinking-focused) · Cocktail & wine bars · Taprooms. Counted together because official statistics use one 722410 code.

State verdict (covered counties): Well below the U.S. rate — 46% of the U.S. rate

Counties covered

in Massachusetts

Bars

395

establishments (2023)

Per 10,000 present

0.5

residents + 0.5×workers

U.S. average

1.0

per 10,000 present

State index

46%

vs. U.S.

Residents

6,803,736

in covered counties

Workers

3,256,157

jobs in covered counties

Coverage. This page aggregates only the 10 Massachusetts counties BizGapMap covers — not the whole state. Counts and the index reflect those counties. The aggregate index uses only ZIP cells Census published, so it is a lower bound. Density is a supply-side signal: it counts existing bars and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more.

Counties in Massachusetts

City	County	Bars	Residents	Workers	Per 10k	Index	Verdict
Boston	Suffolk County	112–158	780,506	719,212	1.0	97–120%	Range spans bands
Holyoke	Hampden County	42–122	462,692	149,833	0.8	77–181%	Range spans bands
Northampton	Hampshire County	13–63	161,056	46,046	0.7	70–307%	Range spans bands
Taunton	Bristol County	42–112	582,221	200,378	0.6	61–139%	Range spans bands
Westborough	Worcester County	62–226	865,923	309,231	0.6	60–194%	Range spans bands
Andover	Essex County	30–120	812,999	284,682	0.3	31–108%	Range spans bands
Hyannis	Barnstable County	7–113	233,772	76,047	0.3	26–354%	Range spans bands
Waltham	Middlesex County	52–228	1,653,842	958,530	0.2	24–92%	Range spans bands
Brockton	Plymouth County	15–101	530,039	179,501	0.2	24–120%	Range spans bands
Canton	Norfolk County	20–100	720,686	332,697	0.2	22–101%	Range spans bands

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Lowest vs. highest measured density

Fewest competitors per capita

97%

77%

70%

61%

60%

31%

26%

24%

Most competitors per capita

22%

24%

24%

26%

31%

60%

61%

70%

Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A county with few bars may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. Use the ranking to find where to look, then verify locally.

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BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.