Population 6,031 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Leicester
Household size in Leicester
| Period | Leicester | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.65 | 2.59 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.52 | 2.62 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.55 | 2.59 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.83 | 2.56 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.18 | −0.03 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
The typical household in Leicester holds 2.83 people, more than the U.S. average of 2.65. Since 2006–10, household size has climbed from 2.65, even as the national average fell. Households are largest in the center and smallest in the southeast.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Leicester
| Period | Leicester | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 42.1 | 39.1 | 39.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 42.5 | 39.8 | 40.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 40.4 | 40.8 | 41.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 40.4 | 41.1 | 41.4 | 40.1 |
| Change | −1.7 | +2.0 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
At 40.4, the median age in Leicester is close to the national median of 40.1, so its age mix looks much like the country's. The median age has dropped from 42.1 in 2006–10, even as the national median rose. Leicester is younger than at least four in five Massachusetts cities.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Leicester
| Period | Leicester | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.3% | 10.8% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 7.9% | 11.3% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 8.1% | 10.3% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 9.4% | 11.7% | 10.6% | 11.6% |
| Change | +3.2 pts | +0.9 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are less common in Leicester than nationally: 9.4%, against 11.6%. Since 2006–10, the single-parent share has risen 3.2 points, even as the national share fell. Compared with other Massachusetts cities, though, Leicester has a higher share of single-parent households than most.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Leicester
Renters in Leicester
| Period | Leicester | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 18.8% | 32.4% | 36.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 28.3% | 34.8% | 37.7% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 23.8% | 34.9% | 37.6% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 8.4% | 34.2% | 37.5% | 34.8% |
| Change | −10.4 pts | +1.9 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Leicester is overwhelmingly a place of homeowners: only 8.4% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 24.9% have no mortgage at all, well below the national share of 39.8%. Since 2006–10, the renter share has fallen 10.4 points, even as the national share rose.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Leicester
| Period | Leicester | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.1% | 9.2% | 9.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 6.2% | 9.1% | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.1% | 8.5% | 8.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 8.3% | 6.8% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Change | −1.8 pts | −2.5 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
About as many homes sit empty in Leicester as nationally: 8.3%, against 9.6%. The rate is higher than in the wider Worcester area (6.8%). Since 2006–10, vacancy has fallen 1.8 points, as it has nationally.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Leicester
| Period | Leicester | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1966 | 1961 | 1958 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1967 | 1962 | 1959 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1968 | 1964 | 1961 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1967 | 1965 | 1963 | 1980 |
| Change | +1 | +4 | +5 | +6 |
The housing in Leicester is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1967, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates. That is in line with the rest of the Worcester area. Newer construction is concentrated in the west, while the east has the oldest housing.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Leicester
| Period | Leicester | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $627 | $930 | $1,085 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $759 | $1,008 | $1,157 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $894 | $1,155 | $1,398 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,597 | $1,549 | $1,860 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$970 | +$619 | +$775 | +$606 |
Rent in Leicester runs $1,597 a month at the median, utilities included, close to the U.S. median of $1,571. Rents are up $970 a month from 2006–10, a 155% jump, faster than rents rose nationally. The typical renter here spends 24.5% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally. Rents run highest in the southeast and lowest in the northeast.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Leicester
Bachelor's degrees in Leicester
| Period | Leicester | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 27.9% | 33.1% | 38.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 28.2% | 34.5% | 40.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 31.5% | 36.5% | 43.6% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 31.7% | 39.8% | 47.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +3.8 pts | +6.7 pts | +8.7 pts | +7.2 pts |
Nearly a third of adults 25 and older in Leicester (31.7%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, a little below the national share of 35.6%. The share with a degree is up 3.8 points from 2006–10, in line with the national trend. Leicester has a lower share of college graduates than the great majority of Massachusetts cities.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Leicester
| Period | Leicester | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 89.7% | 88.4% | 88.4% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 91.8% | 89.4% | 89.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 91.7% | 90.5% | 90.5% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 89.4% | 90.9% | 91.0% | 89.3% |
| Change | −0.3 pts | +2.5 pts | +2.6 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Leicester is close to the national rate: 89.4% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. The rate is lower than in the Worcester area as a whole (90.9%). Leicester has a lower share of high school graduates than the great majority of Massachusetts cities.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Leicester
| Period | Leicester | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.6% | 7.7% | 7.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 6.5% | 8.8% | 8.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.5% | 5.1% | 5.0% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.5% | 5.3% | 5.2% | 5.4% |
| Change | −5.1 pts | −2.4 pts | −2.3 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Leicester runs below the national rate: 3.5% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Unemployment has fallen 5.1 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Leicester compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester | 2.83 | 40.4 | 9.4% | 8.4% | 8.3% | 1967 | $1,597 | 31.7% | 89.4% | 3.5% |
| Tafts Corner | 2.69 | 46.7 | 10.1% | 3.4% | 6.8% | 1978 | $1,511 | 27.7% | 95.9% | 5.0% |
| Cherry Valley | 2.65 | 47.4 | 8.7% | 12.9% | 6.5% | 1961 | $1,289 | 33.4% | 92.3% | 2.7% |
| Rochdale | 2.43 | 48.1 | 6.8% | 18.2% | 3.6% | 1967 | $1,575 | 29.0% | 92.3% | 1.7% |
| Spencer | 2.35 | 51.1 | 9.7% | 38.9% | 8.6% | 1964 | $1,196 | 28.9% | 91.2% | 6.4% |
| South Spencer | 2.22 | 59.1 | 3.4% | 11.0% | 5.2% | 1978 | $1,063 | 20.5% | 95.4% | 15.5% |
| Paxton | 2.70 | 41.9 | 13.2% | 7.8% | 1.9% | 1972 | $1,413 | 55.1% | 95.8% | 4.1% |
| Auburn | 2.51 | 43.2 | 12.8% | 20.3% | 5.2% | 1963 | $1,479 | 45.3% | 94.3% | 3.6% |
| North Oxford | 2.65 | 40.4 | 8.2% | 15.2% | 2.7% | 1981 | $1,222 | 30.1% | 89.5% | 8.9% |
| Lower Wire Village | 2.20 | 51.6 | 28.3% | 7.4% | 6.2% | 1994 | $1,158 | 22.0% | 72.5% | 4.3% |
| Worcester area | 2.56 | 41.1 | 11.7% | 34.2% | 6.8% | 1965 | $1,549 | 39.8% | 90.9% | 5.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Groveland, MA · Grant, AL · Grant, MI · Granville, NY · Grass Lake, MI · Gravette, AR · Great Barrington, MA · Piketon, OH · West Point, NY · Greensburg, KY
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Leicester. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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