Nantucket County Government

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DID YOU KNOW
Nantucket is the only place in Massachusetts where the town and the county are the same entity — one government runs both.

🏚 Nantucket County Government

Nantucket is unique in Massachusetts — it is simultaneously a town, a county, and an island. Nantucket County is the only combined town-and-county government in the Commonwealth, meaning there is no separate county layer of bureaucracy. The Board of Selectmen serves as both the town’s executive board and the county commissioners.

How Nantucket’s Government Works

Because Nantucket is both a town and a county, its government handles functions that on Cape Cod are split between town and Barnstable County:

  • Select Board (5 members) — serves as both town executive authority and county commissioners
  • Open Town Meeting — legislative body, held annually in May at Nantucket High School
  • Town & County Manager — appointed chief administrative officer for both town and county functions
  • Nantucket Registry of Deeds — town-run (no separate county office)
  • Nantucket Police Department — handles all law enforcement (no separate sheriff’s office)
  • Superior Court / District Court — Nantucket courthouse, Town & County Building
  • Nantucket Memorial Airport (ACK) — town-owned and operated

This consolidated structure means Nantucket residents vote once and get both town and county government — a simpler model than the mainland, where 15 Cape Cod towns share Barnstable County services.

🌎 Quick Facts

Population: ~14,300 (year-round); ~50,000+ in summer
Government: Combined town & county (only one in MA)
Select Board: 5 members, staggered 3-year terms
Area: ~49 sq mi (land)
Incorporated: 1671
County created: 1695