Spread Out…Berkshire County is one of the “Most Rural” Counties in Massachusetts

One of the great attractions of living in the Berkshires is the expansive natural space void of tall buildings and miles and miles of urban sprawl.  From the Hoosac Range to the Taconic Mountains, the Berkshires is among one of the most rural counties in Massachusetts according to a study by Stacker.com.

Stacker compiled data from the U.S. Census Bureau focusing on rural land in each county.  According to the Census Bureau “rural land encompasses any land that isn't an urban area. To be considered an urban area, a place has to have a densely settled core of census tracts or blocks and count at least 2,500 people, at least 1,500 of whom must be residents of non-institutional buildings.”

Out of the 14 counties in Massachusetts, Berkshire County was listed as the 2^nd most rural county in the state according to the Stacker study.  The study lists the percentage of areas as rural in the county at 93.6% equal to 867 square miles.  The total land area is 927 square miles according to the report.  Berkshire County is also the 2^nd largest county in Massachusetts and ranks at #779 nationally according to Stacker.

Another western Massachusetts county took the #1 spot as the “Most Rural in Massachusetts.”  Berkshire County’s neighbor to the east Franklin County took the #1 slot as the Most Rural in the state.  To check out the complete list of the “Most Rural Counties in Massachusetts” click on this link to Stacker.