Brockton, Massachusetts

Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts. The city is an important place for business and jobs in the southern part of Greater Boston.

Brockton is called the "City of Champions" because of its famous boxing heroes, Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler, and its strong Brockton High School sports teams. The city has two smaller areas called villages: Montello and Campello. Both have train stations and post offices.

Brockton is known for its windy weather. It is the second-windiest city in the United States, with average winds of 14.3 mph (23.0 km/h). The city has a baseball team called the Brockton Rox, which plays in the Frontier League.

History

In 1649, a leader named Massasoit sold land to an English explorer named Myles Standish. This land became part of a place called Bridgewater. Over time, part of Bridgewater became known as North Bridgewater. In 1874, the town changed its name to Brockton to show its growing importance in business and industry. The name Brockton was chosen after a town in Canada and honors a brave leader from history.

Brockton helped people escape unfair treatment long ago. It was also a big place for making shoes during the Civil War. Today, Brockton has many jobs, like healthcare and education. The city works hard to improve and welcome everyone.

Historical firsts

World firsts

On October 1, 1883, Brockton became the first place in the world to use a special underground electrical system when Thomas Edison turned it on. The City Theater opened on October 24, 1894, and was the first theater in the world connected to this electrical system.

US firsts

On December 30, 1884, the first fire station in the United States that used electricity opened in Brockton. In December 1890, the first department store Santa Claus appeared in Brockton. Brockton became the first city in the country to remove dangerous crossings in 1896. In 2020, Brockton became the first city in New England with a majority-Black population.

World records

On November 23, 2010, Brockton set a world record for the most people wearing Santa hats at one time, with 872 people. One year later, in 2011, the city doubled that number with 1,792 people wearing Santa hats.

Geography

Brockton is a city in Massachusetts, United States. It covers an area of 21.6 square miles, most of which is land. The city is close to Boston and next to several other towns.

Brockton has many parks, with D.W. Field Park being the largest. It includes ponds, a lake, and a golf course. The city is located near the Salisbury Plain River.

According to the Köppen climate classification, Brockton has either a hot-summer humid continental climate or a hot-summer humid subtropical climate.

Demographics

Map of racial distribution in Brockton, 2020 U.S. census. Each dot is one person: ⬤ White ⬤ Black ⬤ Asian ⬤ Hispanic ⬤ Multiracial ⬤ Native American/Other

The 2020 census said that Brockton had 105,643 people. There were 31,440 households, with about 3 people in each home. The city has many different kinds of people. About 27.8% are White, 33.8% are African American, and 12.1% are Hispanic or Latino. Brockton is known for many people with Cape Verdean ancestry, who make up about 16% of the city.

Brockton is the largest and most crowded city in Plymouth County. It is the sixth largest city in all of Massachusetts. The city has many young people and families. The median income for a household was $55,140 in 2018, but about 15.61% of people lived in poverty.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1830	1,953	—
1840	2,616	+33.9%
1850	3,939	+50.6%
1860	6,584	+67.1%
1870	8,007	+21.6%
1880	13,608	+70.0%
1890	27,294	+100.6%
1900	40,063	+46.8%
1910	56,878	+42.0%
1920	66,254	+16.5%
1930	63,797	−3.7%
1940	62,343	−2.3%
1950	62,860	+0.8%
1960	72,813	+15.8%
1970	89,040	+22.3%
1980	95,172	+6.9%
1990	92,788	−2.5%
2000	94,304	+1.6%
2010	93,810	−0.5%
2020	105,643	+12.6%
2024*	105,788	+0.1%
* = population estimate. Source: United States census records and Population Estimates Program data. Source: U.S. Decennial Census

**Brockton, Massachusetts – Racial and ethnic composition**
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White (NH)	54,902	40,268	29,392	58.22%	42.93%	27.82%
Black or African American (NH)	15,913	27,939	35,656	16.87%	29.78%	33.75%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	276	253	232	0.29%	0.27%	0.22%
Asian (NH)	2,044	2,131	2,243	2.17%	2.27%	2.12%
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)	27	37	28	0.03%	0.04%	0.03%
Some other race (NH)	6,971	8,329	7,315	7.39%	8.88%	6.92%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	6,619	5,496	18,015	7.02%	5.86%	17.05%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	7,552	9,357	12,762	8.01%	9.97%	12.08%
Total	94,304	93,810	105,643	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

Rank	ZIP Code (ZCTA)	Per capita income	Median household income	Median family income	Population	Number of households
	Massachusetts	$35,763	$66,866	$84,900	6,605,058	2,530,147
	Plymouth County	$35,220	$75,092	$90,431	497,386	179,617
	United States	$28,155	$53,046	$64,719	311,536,594	115,610,216
1	02301 (West Brockton)	$22,728	$61,060	$65,914	34,929	11,516
	Brockton	$21,942	$49,025	$57,773	93,911	32,856
2	02302 (East Brockton)	$21,477	$44,144	$53,080	58,982	21,340

Arts and culture

Music

Brockton has a community orchestra called the Brockton Symphony Orchestra. It started in 1948 and has about 65 musicians. They give five or six concerts each year at places like Brockton's West Middle School Auditorium and the Oliver Ames Auditorium in Easton. James Orent has led the orchestra since 2007. He also works with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops.

Festivals

Brockton holds several fun events each year:

Brockton Summer Concert Series
Downtown Brockton Arts and Music Festival – at the end of August
Towerfest – on Columbus Day Weekend
Cape Verdean Festival – on the last Sunday in July

Library

The city has three buildings that are part of the Brockton Public Library. The main library is a special building supported by a group called Carnegie.

Notable sites

Some interesting places in Brockton include:

Brockton Airport – now a shopping center called South Side Shopping Center
Fuller Craft Museum
Westgate Mall

Sites listed on National Register of Historic Places

These special places in Brockton are important to history:

Sports

The Brockton Rox are a professional baseball team that plays at Campanelli Stadium. They started in 2024 as the New England Knockouts but changed their name to the Brockton Rox in January 2025.

There was an earlier team also called the Brockton Rox. This team played in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League from 2003 to 2011. After that, they joined the Can-Am League and later returned to the Futures Collegiate Baseball League in 2012. This league helps college players get more experience.

Government

Brockton is part of Massachusetts's 8th congressional district and has been represented since January 2013 by Stephen Lynch.

In the state, Brockton is represented in three districts in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. It is also part of the Second Plymouth and Bristol district in the Massachusetts Senate.

Brockton has a city government with a mayor and a city council. The city elects a mayor for two-year terms. In 2026, Moises M. Rodrigues became the mayor of Brockton. The city council includes four Councilors-at-Large and seven ward Councilors.

Number of Voters	Percentage
Democratic	26,731	38.81%
Republican	3,524	5.12%
Libertarian	219	0.32%
Unenrolled	37,767	54.84%
68,872	100%

Education

Brockton has its own school system for about 17,000 students. It includes an early education school, ten elementary schools, a K–8 school, six middle schools, Brockton High School, and four alternative schools. The sports teams at Brockton High School are called the Boxers, named after a famous boxer from the city, Rocky Marciano.

The city also has private schools, such as Trinity Lower and Upper Campus and Cardinal Spellman High School. Students can also go to Massasoit Community College and other colleges in Brockton.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Major highways

Massachusetts Route 24 goes through Brockton, with exits to Route 27 and Route 123. Other roads like Massachusetts Route 28, Route 14, and Route 37 also pass through the city.

Bus

Brockton has its own bus services run by the Brockton Area Transit Authority. Buses travel through the city and go to places like Bridgewater Industrial Park and Ashmont Station.

Rail

The Fall River/New Bedford Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail stops in Brockton at Montello, Brockton, and Campello.

Healthcare

Brockton has three hospitals: Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital, Boston Medical Center – South, and the Brockton Veterans Administration Hospital. These hospitals help train students from several universities.

Fire department

Brockton has a fire department with 174 firefighters who work all day and night. They have six fire stations and many different types of fire trucks. They work hard to keep the city safe but do not provide ambulance services; those are handled by another company.

Law enforcement

The Brockton Police Department has about 181 police officers and many other workers. They have different teams for different jobs, like detectives and special units. The city is also helped by state police and some local safety groups.

Notable people

Brockton, Massachusetts, has been home to many interesting people. Some are well-known actors like Kristian Alfonso and John Cariani. Others have made their mark in sports, such as Marvin Hagler, a famous boxing champion, and Rocky Marciano, an undefeated heavyweight boxing champion. There are also notable figures in music, like Noel Gourdin and Jimmy Luxury, and in other fields such as Mary E. Baker, a civic leader. The city has produced many talented individuals in different areas.

Awards

Brockton was named one of the best places in the United States for young people in 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2011 by the America's Promise Alliance. This shows that the city cares about giving young people good opportunities.

Brockton, Massachusetts