The Worcester metro area: Worcester County · Population 867,788 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in the Worcester area
Household size in the Worcester area
| Period | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.59 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.62 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.59 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.56 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.03 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in the Worcester area run a little small, averaging 2.56 people against 2.65 nationally, which usually means more singles and couples and fewer children. The figure for Massachusetts is much the same.
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 the Worcester area
| Period | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 39.1 | 39.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 39.8 | 40.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 40.8 | 41.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 41.1 | 41.4 | 40.1 |
| Change | +2.0 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
At 41.1, the median age in the Worcester area is close to the national median of 40.1, so its age mix looks much like the country's. The median age has climbed from 39.1 in 2006–10, in line with the national trend. Residents skew youngest in the center and oldest in the northwest.
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 the Worcester area
| Period | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.8% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 11.3% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 10.3% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 11.7% | 10.6% | 11.6% |
| Change | +0.9 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are about as common in the Worcester area as they are nationally: 11.7%, against 11.6%. Single parents are more common here than in Massachusetts overall (10.6%). The single-parent share has edged up 0.9 points since 2006–10, even as the national share fell.
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 the Worcester area
Renters in the Worcester area
| Period | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 32.4% | 36.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 34.8% | 37.7% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 34.9% | 37.6% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 34.2% | 37.5% | 34.8% |
| Change | +1.9 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renting in the Worcester area is about as common as it is nationally: 34.2% of households rent, against 34.8%. Renters make up a smaller share here than in Massachusetts overall (37.5%). Among owners, 33.6% have paid off their mortgages, below the national share of 39.8%. Since 2006–10, the renter share has risen 1.9 points, in line with the national trend.
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 the Worcester area
| Period | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.2% | 9.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 9.1% | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 8.5% | 8.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 6.8% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Change | −2.5 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Fewer homes sit empty in the Worcester area than nationally: 6.8%, against 9.6% for the U.S. The figure for Massachusetts is much the same. Vacancy has fallen 2.5 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend.
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 the Worcester area
| Period | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1961 | 1958 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1962 | 1959 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1964 | 1961 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1965 | 1963 | 1980 |
| Change | +4 | +5 | +6 |
The Worcester area is a place of older homes: half were built before 1965, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating. Newer construction is concentrated in the east, while the center has the oldest housing. Few large metro areas have older homes: only seven of 100.
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 the Worcester area
| Period | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $930 | $1,085 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,008 | $1,157 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,155 | $1,398 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,549 | $1,860 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$619 | +$775 | +$606 |
Rent in the Worcester area runs $1,549 a month at the median, utilities included, close to the U.S. median of $1,571. Rents here are lower than in Massachusetts overall ($1,860). Rent has climbed $619 a month since 2006–10, up 67%, faster than rents rose nationally. Rent takes 31.1% of the typical renter's income, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
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 the Worcester area
Bachelor's degrees in the Worcester area
| Period | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 33.1% | 38.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 34.5% | 40.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 36.5% | 43.6% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 39.8% | 47.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +6.7 pts | +8.7 pts | +7.2 pts |
About four in ten adults 25 and older in the Worcester area (39.8%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, a bit above the national share of 35.6%. Even so, the share is lower than in Massachusetts overall (47.2%). Since 2006–10, the share with a degree has risen 6.7 points, mirroring the country.
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 the Worcester area
| Period | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 88.4% | 88.4% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 89.4% | 89.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 90.5% | 90.5% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 90.9% | 91.0% | 89.3% |
| Change | +2.5 pts | +2.6 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in the Worcester area is a bit above the national rate: 90.9% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. The figure for Massachusetts is much the same. The share with a diploma is up 2.5 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country.
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 the Worcester area
| Period | Worcester area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.7% | 7.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 8.8% | 8.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.1% | 5.0% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.3% | 5.2% | 5.4% |
| Change | −2.4 pts | −2.3 pts | −2.7 pts |
At 5.3%, unemployment in the Worcester area is close to the national rate of 5.4%. Unemployment has fallen 2.4 points since 2006–10, mirroring the country. 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).
Largest cities in the Worcester area
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester area (all) | 2.56 | 41.1 | 11.7% | 34.2% | 6.8% | 1965 | $1,549 | 39.8% | 90.9% | 5.3% |
| Leominster | 2.43 | 44.3 | 9.3% | 37.8% | 5.8% | 1969 | $1,311 | 33.9% | 90.1% | 6.5% |
| Fitchburg | 2.48 | 36.8 | 17.0% | 46.0% | 7.1% | 1952 | $1,281 | 24.7% | 86.8% | 6.6% |
| Shrewsbury | 2.66 | 41.5 | 6.9% | 27.8% | 5.1% | 1978 | $2,217 | 65.1% | 95.7% | 2.1% |
| Milford | 2.74 | 40.4 | 11.4% | 35.1% | 5.9% | 1965 | $2,030 | 34.1% | 87.1% | 5.0% |
| Gardner | 2.28 | 43.6 | 15.4% | 40.8% | 5.7% | 1958 | $1,100 | 23.8% | 87.4% | 6.8% |
| Westborough | 2.71 | 40.0 | 6.5% | 37.9% | 6.0% | 1977 | $2,368 | 66.1% | 95.9% | 4.4% |
| Southbridge Town | 2.50 | 38.9 | 19.9% | 57.3% | 6.4% | 1956 | $1,201 | 18.8% | 81.6% | 7.4% |
| Webster | 2.34 | 42.1 | 16.5% | 40.2% | 7.6% | 1962 | $1,270 | 25.3% | 91.6% | 7.2% |
| Auburn | 2.51 | 43.2 | 12.8% | 20.3% | 5.2% | 1963 | $1,479 | 45.3% | 94.3% | 3.6% |
| Northborough | 2.64 | 43.3 | 5.1% | 17.5% | 5.1% | 1980 | $2,056 | 65.3% | 98.0% | 4.9% |
All figures 2020–24.
Metro areas of similar size: Dayton area · Columbia area · Sarasota area · Oxnard area · Allentown area · New Haven area · El Paso area · Baton Rouge area · McAllen area · Albany area
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 the Worcester area. 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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