Worcester County, Massachusetts Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Worcester County, MA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageAmong the 3 least healthy counties in Massachusetts
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B
Income Around average
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B
Education Around averageAmong the 5 least educated counties in Massachusetts
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Worcester County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 867,628 | 7,031,620 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 549.1 | 666.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.81% | 0.53% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.4 | 39.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 335,753 | 2,777,931 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Worcester County grew by 9.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 867,628 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Worcester County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.1% of residents. That is 1.0 points above Massachusetts as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 184,486 21.3% -0.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 184,534 21.3% -0.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 191,342 22.1% +1.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 143,212 16.5% -0.8 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Massachusetts, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.6% of the people living in Worcester County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Massachusetts 51.2%
- Men 49.4% Massachusetts 48.8%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Worcester County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Worcester County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Worcester County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $95,680 | $104,336 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.47% | 4.91% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Worcester County is about 8% lower than in Massachusetts.
Housing
| Metric | Worcester County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $351,801 | $494,523 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,425 | $1,761 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 65.8% | 62.5% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Worcester County is about 20.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,425 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Worcester County spend about 48 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 200 hours, about 8.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Worcester County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 24.0 | 25.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.9 | 51.1 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 200 | 213 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,189 | $6,603 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 15.6% | 18.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 12,987 | 14,741 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,614 | 2,164 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Massachusetts:
Nantucket County (12.8 min), Dukes County (15.4 min), Berkshire County (16.8 min).
Slowest:
Norfolk County (31.0 min), Suffolk County (30.4 min), Middlesex County (28.4 min).
The average commute time in Worcester County is 24 minutes, shorter than the 26 minutes in Massachusetts.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Worcester County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Worcester County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35.6% | 42.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.50 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Massachusetts:
Middlesex County (0.5), Norfolk County (0.4), Nantucket County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hampden County (0.3), Bristol County (0.3), Berkshire County (0.3).
Health
Worcester County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Worcester County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.7 | 80.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.2% | 11.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.8% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Massachusetts:
Middlesex County (0.8), Hampshire County (0.8), Norfolk County (0.8).
Lowest:
Hampden County (0.8), Bristol County (0.8), Worcester County (0.8).
Worcester County, MA Compared With Nearby Counties
Worcester County, MA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 867,628 residents against a local median of 426,152. Where Worcester County, MA breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 23% above the local median of $286,603 at $351,801.
The counties themselves spread $520,185 on median home price, so Worcester County, MA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Worcester County, MA has the 2nd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester County, MA | 867,628 | $95,680 #3/6 | $351,801 #2/6 | 24.0 min #4/6 |
| Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 78,384 | $92,667 | $198,249 | 26.0 min |
| Middlesex County, MA | 1,636,094 | $131,269 | $718,434 | 28.4 min |
| Providence County, RI | 663,899 | $78,766 | $301,192 | 21.8 min |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 426,152 | $103,775 | $286,603 | 22.8 min |
| Cheshire County, NH | 77,281 | $82,926 | $208,297 | 18.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Worcester County, Massachusetts.
What is the population of Worcester County, Massachusetts?
About 867,628 people live in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in 335,753 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 40.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
How densely populated is Worcester County, Massachusetts?
Averaged over its land area, Worcester County, Massachusetts has 549 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 6.4 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Worcester County, Massachusetts?
The median home costs 3.7 times the median household income ($351,801 against $95,680), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,425 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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