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CITY

Worcester

Massachusetts · 213,862 residents (2025 est.) · 37.36 sq mi
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Notable rankings
#113Largest by populationof 4,896213,862
The short version

Worcester has lower-than-average household income, with a median household income of $70,102. Population has grown 20% since 2000. Median home value has roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $374,400. At a median age of 33.9, residents skew younger than the country as a whole. Households here earn about 33% less than the Massachusetts median.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 33.9
US median: 38.9
Average education
35% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 74%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
207,055
+20%since 2000
from 172,648 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
5,542 / sq mi
+16%since 2009
from 4,775 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
33.9
+1%since 2000
from 33.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:213,862 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
166K177K188K200K211K1990201020202024Worcester
2024207K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.7%(11,761)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.3%(11,058)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.4%(11,176)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 197.9%(16,273)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2410.1%(20,956)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3417.2%(35,662)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.7%(26,271)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.7%(22,164)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.6%(24,115)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 748%(16,475)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 843.4%(7,138)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.9%(4,006)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$70,102
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $35,623 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$37,221
+100%since 2000
from $18,614 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
46.8%
+18.0 ptssince 2009
from 28.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
19.6%
+1.6 ptssince 2000
from 17.9% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.478
+3%since 2010
from 0.466 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information10.7%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade9.5%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade5.6%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance5.5%
US avg: 5.9%
Other services5%
US avg: 6.7%
Professional, scientific, technical4.8%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration3.6%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing1.9%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$374,400
+74%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $118,400 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,487
+41%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $577 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
42.8%
−0.6 ptssince 2000
from 43.3% in 2000
57.2% rent
Vacancy rate
7.4%
−4.3 ptssince 2009
from 11.7% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
29.8%
−9.8 ptssince 2009
from 39.6% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
52.0%
+5.9 ptssince 2009
from 46.1% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
5.3
−1%since 2009
from 5.4 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
51
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Worcester on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic70.8%(122,211)
Black6.2%(10,762)
Hispanic / Latino15.1%(26,155)
Asian4.8%(8,336)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic48.6%(100,716)
Black12.1%(24,994)
Hispanic / Latino25.3%(52,293)
Asian7.2%(14,815)
Other6.9%(14,237)
Diversity Score
84
+31%since 2009
from 65 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican13%(26,873)
Dominican4.6%(9,439)
Central American3.4%(7,054)
Salvadoran2.2%(4,542)
South American1.8%(3,733)
Mexican1.1%(2,244)
Guatemalan0.9%(1,852)
Ecuadorian0.9%(1,815)
Colombian0.5%(1,022)
Spaniard0.4%(828)
Cuban0.2%(513)
Honduran0.2%(501)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Venezuelan0.2%(316)
Peruvian0.1%(205)
Argentine0.1%(197)
Bolivian0.1%(104)
Panamanian0%(101)
Chilean0%(27)
Uruguayan0%(24)
Asian origin
Vietnamese3%(6,157)
Asian Indian1.1%(2,239)
Chinese1%(2,137)
Pakistani0.3%(703)
Cambodian0.3%(672)
Korean0.2%(401)
Nepalese0.2%(383)
Kazakh0.2%(361)
Laotian0.1%(264)
Taiwanese0.1%(260)
Filipino0.1%(146)
Japanese0.1%(123)
+ 8 more asian origin groups with data
Bangladeshi0.1%(118)
Thai0%(84)
Mongolian0%(80)
Hmong0%(40)
Bhutanese0%(20)
Malaysian0%(19)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(63)
Tongan0%(1)
Ancestry
Irish12.3%(25,398)
Italian8.5%(17,699)
Subsaharan African5.8%(12,035)
English5.2%(10,805)
French4.8%(9,990)
Polish3.2%(6,695)
German3.2%(6,670)
American2.8%(5,707)
Brazilian2.6%(5,459)
Ghanaian2.6%(5,361)
French Canadian2.5%(5,188)
West Indian1.8%(3,689)
+ 48 more ancestry groups with data
Swedish1.6%(3,373)
Arab1.6%(3,271)
Scottish1.2%(2,412)
Portuguese0.9%(1,962)
Greek0.8%(1,744)
Lithuanian0.8%(1,736)
Russian0.8%(1,632)
Jamaican0.8%(1,559)
Haitian0.7%(1,511)
Armenian0.7%(1,453)
Kenyan0.6%(1,308)
Finnish0.5%(1,080)
Lebanese0.5%(939)
Nigerian0.4%(863)
Norwegian0.4%(805)
Iraqi0.4%(773)
Canadian0.3%(708)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(656)
Czech0.3%(636)
Ukrainian0.3%(613)
Dutch0.3%(607)
Syrian0.3%(601)
Hungarian0.2%(430)
British0.2%(427)
Cape Verdean0.1%(304)
Guyanese0.1%(296)
Austrian0.1%(290)
Danish0.1%(254)
Jordanian0.1%(222)
Iranian0.1%(221)
Welsh0.1%(206)
Swiss0.1%(205)
Moroccan0.1%(191)
Romanian0.1%(191)
Belgian0.1%(155)
Ethiopian0.1%(155)
Slovak0.1%(127)
Serbian0%(88)
Egyptian0%(48)
Israeli0%(47)
Slovene0%(46)
Latvian0%(36)
Turkish0%(28)
Croatian0%(14)
Bulgarian0%(11)
RANKED:Largest Puerto Rican population · Largest Irish population · Largest Italian population · Largest Subsaharan African population · Largest English population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
35.2%
+11.9 ptssince 2000
from 23.3% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
85.7%
+9.0 ptssince 2000
from 76.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
14.8%
+5.0 ptssince 2000
from 9.8% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.1 min
+59%since 2000
from 15.2 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
65.2%
−12.0 ptssince 2009
from 77.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
11.0%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 10.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
3.2%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
11.5%
+8.6 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
5.1%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 5.6% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
16.1%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 14.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.5%
−2.8 ptssince 2011
from 9.3% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
65.2%
+1.6 ptssince 2011
from 63.6% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
15.6%
+1.9 ptssince 2009
from 13.8% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
42.5%
−21.3 ptssince 2009
from 63.8% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.6%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 49.0% in 2009
Female
50.4%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 51.0% in 2009
Foreign born
25.1%
+6.3 ptssince 2009
from 18.8% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
3.1%
−44.9 ptssince 2009
from 48.0% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
15.5%
+2.3 ptssince 2012
from 13.2% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
3.9%
−91.2 ptssince 2013
from 95.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
91.0%
+15.3 ptssince 2017
from 75.7% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
60.5%
−4.8 ptssince 2016
from 65.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
18.9%
+3.0 ptssince 2016
from 15.9% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married50.9%(43,197)
Married38.5%(32,676)
Widowed1.9%(1,653)
Divorced8.6%(7,275)
Women 15+
Never married44.7%(39,455)
Married36.4%(32,164)
Widowed6.9%(6,088)
Divorced12%(10,552)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
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Head to head

Compare Worcester to nearby cities

WORCESTER VS
Marlborough
Income$91,968+31%
Home value$513,100+37%
Population42,772−80%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WORCESTER VS
Hudson
Income$90,524+29%
Home value$473,300+26%
Population15,719−93%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WORCESTER VS
Webster
Income$63,837−9%
Home value$333,100−11%
Population12,228−94%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WORCESTER VS
Milford
Income$93,310+33%
Home value$464,700+24%
Population27,731−87%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Worcester, Massachusetts?

Worcester, Massachusetts has about 207,055 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Worcester, Massachusetts?

The typical household in Worcester, Massachusetts earns about $70,102 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Worcester, Massachusetts expensive?

In Worcester, Massachusetts, the median home is worth about $374,400, and the typical rent is about $1,487 a month.

How educated are people in Worcester, Massachusetts?

About 35.2% of adults age 25 and over in Worcester, Massachusetts hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Worcester, Massachusetts?

About 19.6% of people in Worcester, Massachusetts live below the federal poverty line.

Has Worcester, Massachusetts grown since 1990?

Yes, Worcester, Massachusetts has grown since 1990. The population has added about 37,296 residents, a change of about 22 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

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