Official Federal Data
Worcester County, Massachusetts
FIPS 25027 · Worcester, MA · Population 867,788
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$95,939 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
4.6% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$60.9B ▲
GDP
39.7% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$95,939 ▲
Per Capita
$48,914 ▲
Mean Household
$124,653 ▲
Poverty Rate
10.3% ▲
Median Income Comparison
Worcester County$95,939
Massachusetts$103,960
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 20.6%
18-34 · 22.2%
35-54 · 25.9%
55-64 · 14.2%
65+ · 17%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
91.2%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +1.6 pts
39.7%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +4.0 pts
16.8%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +2.7 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
867,788
Population
472,524
Labor Force
Employed
446,897
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.6% ▲ +0.6 pts YoY
Mean Commute 3 min above national avg
29.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
15.6%
Key Takeaways
- Income premium: Households earn well above the national median, supporting strong retail and housing markets.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 74,493 workers (28.6% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $69,864.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $60.9B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $126,826 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $30,396, a 4.2x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Manufacturing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
17,843
Cluster Employment
4.30x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing
4.30x 233
Paper Manufacturing
3.48x 2,794
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
2.45x 5,598
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
2.30x 1,729
Utilities
2.25x 3,095
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
2.25x 3,602
Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
2.05x 2,651
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar
1.95x 805
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
1.91x 14,918
Chemical Manufacturing
1.90x 3,887
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.02x
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
89 employed
0.18x
Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
153 employed
0.20x
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
155 employed
0.22x
Primary Metal Manufacturing
182 employed
0.25x
Support Activities for Transportation
475 employed
0.31x
Animal Production and Aquaculture
194 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing concentrates at 4.30x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$423,700 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,426 ▲
Rent/Mo
65.8% ▲
Owner-Occ
5.5% ▼
Vacancy
4.4x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents (County Average)
Renter-household-weighted average across 60 town FMR areas · Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,500/mo$1,096 to $1,588
1 Bedroom
$1,559/mo$1,200 to $1,651
2 Bedroom
$1,995/mo$1,532 to $2,166
3 Bedroom
$2,514/mo$2,131 to $3,012
4 Bedroom
$2,822/mo$2,570 to $3,380
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,398/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.4x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,398/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
541,177 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 3 min above national avg
29.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
15.6%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
83%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
39.7% ▲
HS Diploma+
91.2% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
45,350/yr
12,366/yr
9,752/yr
9,235/yr
5,123/yr
4,894/yr
3,980/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
22.8%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
46.4%
Service
15.7%
Sales & Office
18.6%
Construction / Maint.
8.2%
Production / Transport
11.1%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 446,897 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 22.8% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 31,353 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Worcester County shows meaningful potential for leather and allied product manufacturing attraction, with a 4.30x concentration and 233 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 22.8% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across leather and allied product manufacturing, paper manufacturing, and computer and electronic product manufacturing creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Worcester County, Massachusetts, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Worcester County, Massachusetts?
867,788 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Worcester County, Massachusetts?
$95,939 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Worcester County, Massachusetts?
4.6% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Worcester County, Massachusetts?
$60.9B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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