[4] Attleboro is the fourth-largest municipality in Bristol County, Behind New Bedford, Fall River, and Taunton.

During the Native American insurgency in the colonial era, Nathaniel Woodcock, the son of an Attleborough resident, was murdered, and his head was placed on a pole in his father's front yard.

In late 2003, The Sun Chronicle reported that a state investigation had been launched into the deaths of three women in the city from glioblastoma.

[8] In 2007, the State of Massachusetts issued a report concluding that although the diagnosis rate for brain and central nervous system (CNS) cancers was higher than expected when compared to statewide data, the increase was determined not to be statistically significant.

[9] Scorecard, Environmental Defense's online database of polluters, lists seven facilities contributing to cancer hazards in Attleboro, including Engineered Materials Solutions Inc., the worst offender in Massachusetts.

[10] In 2002, the Massachusetts Public Health Department was asked to evaluate the former Shpack Landfill, on the border of Norton and Attleboro, for its cancer risks.

[11][12] The informal landfill included uranium fuel rods, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds.

[14] Its borders form an irregular polygon that resembles a truncated triangle pointing west.

As of the 2010 census, there were 43,593 people, 16,884 households, and 11,212 families living in the city; the population density was 1,626.6 inhabitants per square mile (628.0/km2).

Hispanic and Latino people of any race made up 6.3% of the total (2.0% Puerto Rican, 1.7% Guatemalan, 0.5% Mexican, 0.4% Salvadoran, 0.3% Dominican, 0.2% Colombian).

[31] In 2011, Attleboro was awarded $5.4 million in state and federal funding to support revitalization efforts in its historic downtown area.

[32] The funds were intended to transform underutilized industrial and commercial parcels into areas of mixed use that included commercial, recreational, and residential space, as well as improvements to MBTA rail and GATRA bus services, and road improvements.

[41] In addition to the Christmas Festival, the shrine offers programs, concerts, workshops and events throughout the year.

The city council acts as the legislative body, and the mayor handles traditional day-to-day chief executive functions.

Bridgewater State University opened a satellite site in Attleboro in 2009, sharing space with Bristol Community College.

"[49] The sale of the first Attleboro High School built in 1912 on County Street gave the city funds for the new building.

The city is home to two MBTA commuter rail stations: one in the downtown area and one in the South Attleboro district, near the Rhode Island border.