CensusEasy
METRO AREA · 2010 ACS

Worcester Metro

Worcester, MA · 1 counties · 798,552 residents · 1,511 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Compare
The short version

Worcester is home to 798,552 people. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $282,800. 33% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Households take in $64,152 a year at the median, 22% more than the country as a whole. Poverty is uncommon here, at 9.5% of people across the metro. Headcount has barely moved since 2000.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $52,703
Older
median age 39.2
US median: 37.2
More educated
33% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Less affordable
home values up 57%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
798,552
+6%since 2000
from 750,963 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
529 / sq mi
+6%since 2000
from 497 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
39.2
+8%since 2000
from 36.3 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
1,511 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
694K741K789K836K884K19902000201020202024Worcester
2024868K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 55.9%(46,823)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 96.4%(51,093)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 146.8%(54,153)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 197.4%(59,378)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 246.6%(52,428)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3411.6%(92,556)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4414.2%(113,226)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5416.4%(130,690)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6412%(96,170)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 746.4%(51,473)
US avg: 7%
75 to 844.2%(33,647)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over2.1%(16,915)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$64,152
+6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $47,874 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$30,557
+33%since 2000
from $22,983 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
42.6%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 42.3% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
9.5%
+0.3 ptssince 2000
from 9.2% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.433
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Retail trade14.4%
US avg: 10.9%
Information11.2%
US avg: 11.5%
Other services6.8%
US avg: 7%
Wholesale trade6%
US avg: 7.2%
Public administration5.3%
US avg: 4.9%
Finance & insurance4.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Professional, scientific, technical3.2%
US avg: 4.2%
Transportation & warehousing2.9%
US avg: 3.1%
Arts, entertainment, food2.4%
US avg: 2.4%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.4%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$282,800
+57%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $142,600 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$862
+17%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $580 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
66.1%
+2.0 ptssince 2000
from 64.1% in 2000
33.9% rent
Vacancy rate
7.9%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 7.9% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.56 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.62 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
32.7%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 32.5% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
45.2%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 44.4% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
4.4
−1%since 2009
from 4.5 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic86.5%(649,227)
Black2.4%(18,257)
Hispanic / Latino6.8%(50,864)
Asian2.6%(19,561)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic80.7%(644,299)
Black3.6%(29,084)
Hispanic / Latino9.4%(75,422)
Asian4%(31,597)
Other1.9%(15,201)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican5.3%(41,745)
South American0.9%(7,451)
Dominican0.9%(7,189)
Central American0.8%(6,645)
Mexican0.5%(3,566)
Salvadoran0.3%(2,743)
Colombian0.3%(2,518)
Guatemalan0.2%(1,939)
Ecuadorian0.2%(1,442)
Uruguayan0.2%(1,349)
Cuban0.1%(783)
Honduran0.1%(760)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.1%(677)
Panamanian0.1%(612)
Spaniard0.1%(469)
Argentine0%(374)
Chilean0%(349)
Bolivian0%(287)
Nicaraguan0%(202)
Venezuelan0%(183)
Ancestry
Irish22.2%(175,644)
French15.1%(119,443)
Italian14.4%(113,873)
English11.7%(92,610)
Polish7%(55,442)
German6.9%(54,316)
French Canadian6.7%(52,989)
Swedish3.4%(27,041)
American3.2%(25,128)
Scottish2.6%(20,710)
Scotch-Irish1.8%(14,157)
Lithuanian1.6%(12,894)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Portuguese1.6%(12,663)
Brazilian1.2%(9,654)
Finnish1.2%(9,645)
Greek1.2%(9,643)
Russian1.1%(9,004)
Arab1%(7,654)
Dutch0.9%(7,031)
Canadian0.8%(6,709)
West Indian0.7%(5,259)
Armenian0.6%(4,489)
Norwegian0.5%(4,088)
Lebanese0.5%(4,016)
Welsh0.4%(3,117)
Haitian0.4%(3,051)
Hungarian0.4%(2,798)
British0.3%(2,673)
Danish0.2%(1,967)
Ukrainian0.2%(1,931)
Ghanaian0.2%(1,927)
Austrian0.2%(1,421)
Slovak0.2%(1,357)
Czech0.2%(1,353)
Jamaican0.1%(1,171)
Syrian0.1%(1,095)
Swiss0.1%(979)
Iranian0.1%(824)
Egyptian0.1%(814)
Cape Verdean0.1%(807)
Kenyan0.1%(669)
Nigerian0.1%(606)
Romanian0.1%(578)
Belgian0.1%(512)
Moroccan0.1%(444)
Iraqi0.1%(405)
Israeli0%(278)
Barbadian0%(236)
Turkish0%(228)
Latvian0%(206)
Croatian0%(175)
Bulgarian0%(172)
Guyanese0%(172)
Serbian0%(146)
Ethiopian0%(134)
Somali0%(108)
Macedonian0%(100)
Slovene0%(98)
Jordanian0%(47)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
32.9%
+6.0 ptssince 2000
from 26.9% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
88.6%
+5.1 ptssince 2000
from 83.5% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
12.7%
+2.5 ptssince 2000
from 10.3% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
27.0 min
+46%since 2000
from 18.6 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
81.9%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 82.5% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
8.9%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 8.7% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
1.6%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
3.9%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.7% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
2.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.6% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
8.5%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 7.8% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
13.0%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 12.9% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
39.8%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 39.1% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 49.2% in 2009
Female
50.8%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
Foreign born
10.7%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 10.4% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
9.7%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 9.9% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married37.9%(134,963)
Married50%(178,043)
Widowed2.5%(8,835)
Divorced9.7%(34,394)
Women 15+
Never married32%(117,194)
Married48.3%(176,863)
Widowed7.7%(28,005)
Divorced12%(43,975)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
2.5%
−1.2 ptssince 2013
from 3.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
60.8%
−2.0 ptssince 2020
from 62.8% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.9%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 12.9% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.5%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 16.6% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
24.8%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 23.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 1.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
72.3%
−1.4 ptssince 2020
from 73.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
38.4%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 37.1% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)20.6%(7,104)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)17.2%(5,931)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era31.8%(10,966)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.7%(1,964)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.4%(470)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 34,457 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
In this metro

Largest cities

WorcesterCENTRAL213,862Leominster44,194Fitchburg42,136Milford27,731Gardner21,483Southbridge18,105Webster12,228Athol8,801Clinton7,658Whitinsville7,115Northborough6,392Oxford5,671Spencer5,661Westborough4,699Hopedale4,360Winchendon4,331Upton3,234Cordaville2,989East Douglas2,987North Brookfield2,659Baldwinville2,528Sturbridge2,443Fiskdale2,311South Lancaster2,177Lunenburg2,057Rutland2,019West Brookfield1,563South Ashburnham1,500East Brookfield1,445Warren1,426

The 30 most populous of 34 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

1 component county

Worcester CountyCENTRAL888,502
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Worcester

Stockton
Pop 823,815
Albany
Pop 915,835
Charleston
Pop 889,263
Allentown
Pop 887,615
Places similar to Worcester
Head to head

Compare Worcester side by side

WORCESTER VS
Stockton
Income$92,179+44%
Home value$530,700+88%
Population823,815−7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WORCESTER VS
Albany
Income$88,339+38%
Home value$288,584+2%
Population915,835+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WORCESTER VS
Charleston
Income$85,207+33%
Home value$404,179+43%
Population889,263same
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WORCESTER VS
Allentown
Income$85,100+33%
Home value$302,579+7%
Population887,615same
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Worcester, MA?

Worcester, MA has about 798,552 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Worcester, MA?

The typical household in Worcester, MA earns about $64,152 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Worcester, MA expensive?

In Worcester, MA, the median home is worth about $282,800, and the typical rent is about $862 a month.

How educated are people in Worcester, MA?

About 32.9% of adults age 25 and over in Worcester, MA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Worcester, MA?

About 9.5% of people in Worcester, MA live below the federal poverty line.

Has Worcester, MA grown since 1990?

Yes, Worcester, MA has grown since 1990. The population has added about 88,847 residents, a change of about 13 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →