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METRO AREA · 2020 ACS

Worcester Metro

Worcester, MA · 1 counties · 862,111 residents · 1,511 sq mi
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The short version

Worcester is home to 862,111 people. Growth has run 15% since 2000, or 111,148 more people. 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Households take in $77,155 a year at the median, 16% more than the country as a whole. Poverty is uncommon here, at 9.7% of people across the metro. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $295,300.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 40.2
US median: 38.8
More educated
37% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 38%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
862,111
+15%since 2000
from 750,963 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
571 / sq mi
+15%since 2000
from 497 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
40.2
+11%since 2000
from 36.3 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
1,511 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
694K741K789K836K884K19902000201020202024Worcester
2024868K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55%(43,417)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.6%(48,178)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.2%(53,232)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.8%(58,260)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.9%(59,234)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3413%(111,727)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412.3%(105,987)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5413.4%(115,926)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6414.5%(124,582)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 749.8%(84,550)
US avg: 10%
75 to 844.6%(39,699)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2%(17,319)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$77,155
+7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $47,874 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$39,113
+70%since 2000
from $22,983 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
51.2%
+8.9 ptssince 2009
from 42.3% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
9.7%
+0.4 ptssince 2000
from 9.2% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade12%
US avg: 10%
Information11.3%
US avg: 11.1%
Wholesale trade6.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Other services6.3%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration4.9%
US avg: 4.7%
Finance & insurance4.3%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical3.5%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.8%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.9%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$295,300
+38%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $142,600 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,074
+23%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $580 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
63.8%
−0.3 ptssince 2000
from 64.1% in 2000
36.2% rent
Persons per household
2.54 people
−3%since 2009
from 2.62 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.8
−14%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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic70.9%(611,207)
Black5.1%(44,222)
Hispanic / Latino13%(111,902)
Asian5.3%(46,110)
Other3%(26,121)
Segregation Score
41
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican6.8%(56,618)
South American1.3%(10,429)
Dominican1.2%(10,119)
Central American0.9%(7,492)
Mexican0.7%(6,110)
Salvadoran0.5%(4,169)
Ecuadorian0.4%(3,311)
Colombian0.4%(2,902)
Guatemalan0.2%(1,845)
Uruguayan0.2%(1,606)
Cuban0.2%(1,456)
Spaniard0.1%(665)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.1%(640)
Argentine0.1%(628)
Honduran0.1%(603)
Panamanian0.1%(574)
Venezuelan0.1%(516)
Chilean0%(286)
Nicaraguan0%(134)
Bolivian0%(85)
Asian origin
Asian Indian1.9%(15,523)
Vietnamese1%(8,472)
Chinese1%(7,965)
Korean0.2%(1,504)
Filipino0.2%(1,420)
Laotian0.1%(960)
Cambodian0.1%(952)
Japanese0.1%(775)
Pakistani0.1%(694)
Hmong0.1%(499)
Thai0%(356)
Nepalese0%(279)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Sri Lankan0%(235)
Taiwanese0%(162)
Mongolian0%(65)
Bhutanese0%(56)
Burmese0%(14)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(128)
Chamorro0%(82)
Fijian0%(37)
Ancestry
Irish18.5%(152,533)
Italian12.5%(103,013)
French9.5%(78,366)
English9.1%(75,197)
American6.3%(52,251)
French Canadian6.1%(50,693)
Polish5.6%(45,918)
German5.3%(44,081)
Swedish2.7%(22,620)
Scottish2.1%(17,766)
Subsaharan African2.1%(17,143)
Portuguese1.7%(14,174)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Brazilian1.4%(11,335)
Lithuanian1.1%(8,869)
West Indian0.9%(7,283)
Russian0.9%(7,192)
Greek0.8%(7,009)
Finnish0.8%(6,825)
Canadian0.7%(6,132)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(4,857)
Ghanaian0.6%(4,831)
Dutch0.6%(4,814)
Armenian0.5%(4,430)
Lebanese0.4%(3,712)
British0.4%(3,623)
Norwegian0.4%(3,508)
Jamaican0.4%(2,908)
Haitian0.3%(2,730)
Welsh0.3%(2,666)
Ukrainian0.3%(2,145)
Hungarian0.2%(1,961)
Danish0.2%(1,529)
Czech0.2%(1,398)
Cape Verdean0.2%(1,317)
Nigerian0.2%(1,257)
Syrian0.2%(1,250)
Austrian0.1%(1,150)
Slovak0.1%(1,036)
Iraqi0.1%(1,014)
Swiss0.1%(956)
Egyptian0.1%(930)
Kenyan0.1%(850)
Iranian0.1%(694)
Belgian0.1%(680)
Romanian0.1%(606)
Arab0.1%(465)
Latvian0%(358)
Turkish0%(358)
Somali0%(308)
Bulgarian0%(266)
Guyanese0%(242)
Australian0%(235)
Barbadian0%(233)
Slovene0%(224)
Moroccan0%(197)
Ethiopian0%(187)
Croatian0%(172)
Serbian0%(172)
Israeli0%(163)
Jordanian0%(87)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
37.1%
+10.1 ptssince 2000
from 26.9% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
91.3%
+7.8 ptssince 2000
from 83.5% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
15.1%
+4.8 ptssince 2000
from 10.3% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
29.8 min
+60%since 2000
from 18.6 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
77.6%
−4.8 ptssince 2009
from 82.5% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
9.2%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 7.8% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.8%
−3.3 ptssince 2011
from 8.2% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
66.3%
−2.1 ptssince 2011
from 68.4% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
76.8%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
43.1%
+4.0 ptssince 2009
from 39.1% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 49.2% in 2009
Female
50.7%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
Foreign born
12.4%
+2.0 ptssince 2009
from 10.4% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
2.3%
−1.4 ptssince 2013
from 3.7% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
92.1%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
89.1%
US average: 86.2%
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

Uninsured
2.3%
−1.4 ptssince 2013
from 3.7% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
62.8%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
12.9%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
16.6%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
23.9%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.6%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
73.7%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
37.1%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)16.2%(6,686)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)17.2%(7,108)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era33.1%(13,657)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War8.4%(3,461)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II3.5%(1,450)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 41,251 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+19%
Home value$530,700+80%
Population823,815−7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WORCESTER VS
Albany
Income$88,339+14%
Home value$288,584−2%
Population915,835+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WORCESTER VS
Charleston
Income$85,207+10%
Home value$404,179+37%
Population889,263same
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WORCESTER VS
Allentown
Income$85,100+10%
Home value$302,579+2%
Population887,615same
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Worcester, MA?

Worcester, MA has about 862,111 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Worcester, MA?

The typical household in Worcester, MA earns about $77,155 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 $295,300, and the typical rent is about $1,074 a month.

How educated are people in Worcester, MA?

About 37.1% 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 9.7% 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 152,406 residents, a change of about 21 percent over that period.

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

How we source and harmonize this data →