Ham radio operators in Massachusetts: new licenses by county
13,300 licensed amateur radio operators; 574 new in the past 12 months. Updated weekly from FCC data.
At a glance · Data as of
- New hams · last 30 days
- 46
- New hams · last 12 months
- 574
- ▲ 20% vs prior 12 mo
- Active licensed hams
- 13,300
- Upgrades · 12 mo
- 179
- Vanity callsigns · 12 mo
- 157
- Address updates · 12 mo
- 204
- Often a move into the area
- Expiring · next 6 mo
- 754
About ham radio in Massachusetts
New licenses are climbing in Massachusetts: 574 people earned a first amateur radio license in the past 12 months, 20% more than the year before. Massachusetts ranks #16 of 52 states and territories for new licenses. Middlesex County leads the state with 195 new hams. Technicians make up 43% of the state’s licensees, below the U.S. average of 48%, a sign of an experienced community with many HF operators. 179 operators upgraded their license in the past year, the moment many buy their first HF rig.
New hams by month
Show data table
| Month | New hams |
|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | 46 |
| Dec 2025 | 47 |
| Jan 2026 | 50 |
| Feb 2026 | 38 |
| Mar 2026 | 52 |
| Apr 2026 | 62 |
| May 2026 | 69 |
| Jun 2026 | 68 |
| Jul 2026 | 40 |
| Aug 2026 | 42 |
| Sep 2026 | 50 |
| Total | 569 |
License classes
| Class | Hams | Share | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technician | 5,776 | 43% | 48% |
| General | 3,399 | 26% | 25% |
| Amateur Extra | 3,259 | 25% | 21% |
| Advanced | 516 | 4% | 3% |
| Novice / Other | 350 | 3% | 2% |
Bar = Massachusetts share · Tick = U.S. share
In the past 12 months, 74 operators upgraded to General and 91 to Amateur Extra.
How Massachusetts compares
#16 of 52 states and territories for new hams in the past 12 months
| Per 1,000 active hams | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| New hams, past 12 months | 43.2 | 33.3 |
| Upgrades, past 12 months | 13.5 | 15.3 |
| Expiring, next 6 months | 56.7 | 58.2 |
574 new hams in Massachusetts this past year. Get next month’s list free.
Sign Up Free →Top 10 Massachusetts counties for new hams
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| # | County | New hams 12 mo | Change vs prior year | Active hams | New per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesex County | 195 | ▲ 36% | 3,975 | 49.1 |
| 2 | Worcester County | 92 | ▲ 28% | 1,871 | 49.2 |
| 3 | Essex County | 39 | ▼ 7% | 1,289 | 30.3 |
| 4 | Suffolk County | 39 | 0% | 524 | 74.4 |
| 5 | Norfolk County | 38 | ▲ 12% | 1,209 | 31.4 |
| 6 | Barnstable County | 32 | 0% | 798 | 40.1 |
| 7 | Plymouth County | 30 | ▲ 15% | 941 | 31.9 |
| 8 | Bristol County | 18 | ▼ 14% | 986 | 18.3 |
| 9 | Hampden County | 17 | ▼ 15% | 691 | 24.6 |
| 10 | Hampshire County | 16 | ▼ 20% | 378 | 42.3 |
All Massachusetts counties
12 counties with their own page. Numbers are new hams in the past 12 months.
- Barnstable County32 new hams in 12 months
- Berkshire County12 new hams in 12 months
- Bristol County18 new hams in 12 months
- Essex County39 new hams in 12 months
- Franklin County2 new hams in 12 months
- Hampden County17 new hams in 12 months
- Hampshire County16 new hams in 12 months
- Middlesex County195 new hams in 12 months
- Norfolk County38 new hams in 12 months
- Plymouth County30 new hams in 12 months
- Suffolk County39 new hams in 12 months
- Worcester County92 new hams in 12 months
Smaller Massachusetts counties
These 2 counties have too few licensees or too little recent activity for a page of their own, so their numbers are listed here.
| County | Active hams | New hams · 12 mo |
|---|---|---|
| Dukes County | 33 | 0 |
| Nantucket County | 32 | 1 |
Neighboring states
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Figures may be reused with credit to Ham Recruiter (CC BY 4.0).
Questions about hams in Massachusetts
How many ham radio operators are in Massachusetts?
13,300 active amateur radio licensees are on file for Massachusetts as of Oct 12, 2026.
How many new hams were licensed in Massachusetts last year?
574 people in Massachusetts received their first FCC amateur radio license in the 12 months ending Oct 12, 2026.
Which Massachusetts counties have the most new hams?
In the past 12 months: Middlesex County (195), Worcester County (92) and Essex County (39).
Where does this data come from?
From the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) public amateur license database, which we download every Monday. Addresses are matched to counties with the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. This page shows totals only.
Can I see the names or call signs on this page?
No. Public pages show totals only. Verified Ham Recruiter users can search and export lists for outreach; see how licensee information is handled.
About this data
Data as of . Source: FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) weekly amateur license database; county from U.S. Census Bureau geocoding. Aggregates only, no individual licensee data is shown. Aggregate figures © Ham Recruiter, CC BY 4.0.
How we count
- New ham: an active licensee whose first license was granted in the period.
- Address updates: a change of FCC mailing address, often a move into the area.
- Counts use each licensee’s current FCC address. Someone licensed here who later moved is counted where they live now.
- Each license keeps only its most recent event of each type, so two upgrades in one year count once.
- PO-box-only addresses often can’t be matched to a county, so rural counties are slightly undercounted.
100% of Massachusetts licensees could be matched to a county.