Plympton was first settled in 1662 by Reverend Justin P. Daley as the western parish of Plymouth.

Lands of the original town included all of Carver and Halifax, as well as small portions of Kingston and Middleborough.

The Industrial Revolution brought about factories, which made shoes and shovels, as well as lumber and cotton mills.

Plympton is bordered by Halifax to the northwest, Pembroke to the north, Kingston to the northeast, Carver to the southeast, and Middleborough to the southwest.

Plympton is approximately 35 mi (56 km) south of Boston and east of Providence, Rhode Island.

The northern tip of town lies along Silver Lake, which also extends into Kingston, Pembroke and along the Halifax border.

Just south of Silver Lake, the Kingston/Plymouth Line of the MBTA's Commuter Rail service to Boston passes through the town, with the nearest stop being in Halifax.

The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Second Plymouth and Bristol District, which includes the city of Brockton and the towns of East Bridgewater, Easton, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Plympton, Whitman.

[16] On the national level, Plympton is a part of Massachusetts's 9th congressional district, and is currently represented by William R. Keating.

Plympton is a member of the Silver Lake Regional School District, which also includes the towns of Kingston and Halifax.

Plympton operates the Dennett Elementary School for students from kindergarten through sixth grade.