City · Worcester County, Massachusetts

Fitchburg, Massachusetts

Fitchburg is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, part of the Worcester, MA metro area. It has 41,798 residents. Fitchburg, Massachusetts has a quality-of-life score of 61 out of 100 (high), ranking #6,175 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Massachusetts it ranks #189 of 225 cities and towns. It ranks best on mammography screening (high), mental health providers (high) and suicide rate (low). It ranks worst on child care cost burden (high), time spent in the emergency room (high) and new business applications (low).

61High

Quality-of-life score: #6,175 of 15,651 cities and towns
Massachusetts: #189 of 225 in MA
Population: 41,798 (2020-2024)
Land area: 28 mi²
Density: 1,502.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 2523875

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety81#3,014/15,637
Economy26#11,620/15,631
Housing28#10,832/14,977
Health53#7,401/15,609
Healthcare88#1,842/15,650
Environment84#2,460/15,453
Education59#6,397/15,649
Infrastructure45#8,545/15,650
Community56#6,845/15,651
Leisure & amenities38#9,706/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Fitchburg, Massachusetts ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Worcester County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Mammography screening · high57.0%
96/100Massachusetts 54.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWorcester County value
Mental health providers · high621 /100k
94/100Massachusetts 787 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWorcester County value
Suicide rate · low8.0 /100k
92/100Massachusetts 8.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataWorcester County value
Firearm deaths · low4.2 /100k
91/100Massachusetts 3.5 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataWorcester County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low2.2%
91/100Massachusetts 3.3%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Public EV charging ports · high13.6 /10k
89/100Massachusetts 16.4 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyWorcester County value

Weaknesses

Child care cost burden · high38.7%
12/100Massachusetts 39.7%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWorcester County value
Time spent in the emergency room · high219 min
13/100Massachusetts 216 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWorcester County value
New business applications · low9.0 /1k
15/100Massachusetts 11.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauWorcester County value
Loneliness · high37.0%
21/100Massachusetts 35.0%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Grocery stores · low1.1 /10k
21/100Massachusetts 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWorcester County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.7
22/100Massachusetts 3.3United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWorcester County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.4% (2015-2019) → 91.2% (2020-2024)
+8.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.4× (2015-2019) → 4.6× (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Median household incomeImproving
$57,207 (2015-2019) → $73,040 (2020-2024)
+28%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
New homes permittedWorsening
0.6 /1k (2021) → 0.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−23%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
21.0% (2015-2019) → 25.1% (2020-2024)
+4.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
4.1% (2015-2019) → 2.2% (2020-2024)
−1.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Fitchburg, Massachusetts improved on 4 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Uninsured−1.8 points4.1% → 2.2%
Bachelor's++4.1 points21.0% → 25.1%
Broadband+8.8 points82.4% → 91.2%
Household income+28%$57,207 → $73,040

Declined1

Price / income+1.2×3.4× → 4.6×

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Fitchburg, Massachusetts between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.4 min2015-2019	27.1 min2020-2024	−0.3 min	Within the margin of error	52%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.0%2015-2019	25.1%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Improved	61%
Broadband subscriptions	82.4%2015-2019	91.2%2020-2024	+8.8 points	Improved	54%
Child poverty rate	21.0%2015-2019	19.8%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Effective property tax rate	1.61%2015-2019	1.33%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	70%
High school diploma or higher	85.1%2015-2019	86.7%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Home price to income ratio	3.4×2015-2019	4.6×2020-2024	+1.2×	Declined	17%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4182015-2019	0.4462020-2024	+0.028	Within the margin of error	28%
Median household income	$57,2072015-2019	$73,0402020-2024	+28%	Improved	50%
Poverty rate	15.7%2015-2019	15.6%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Public transit commuters	2.6%2015-2019	2.7%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	97%
Rent as share of income	29.9%2015-2019	29.9%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Rent-burdened households	49.6%2015-2019	49.9%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Unemployment rate	8.3%2015-2019	6.7%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.1%2015-2019	2.2%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Improved	67%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Fitchburg, Massachusetts five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Fitchburg, Massachusetts in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Fitchburg, Massachusetts itself moved −1.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

41,798 residents (±32)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

16,659 households (±616)

Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Massachusetts share

Under $25k17%2,813
$25k–50k21%3,421
$50k–75k14%2,344

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

16,659 households (±616)

Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Massachusetts share

Own54%9,007
Rent46%7,652

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

20,668 workers (±688)

Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Massachusetts share

Drive alone73%15,041
Carpool9.7%2,010
Public transit2.7%†557

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Worcester, MA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Worcester County, the county holding most of Fitchburg's residents.

Worcester County has 19,181 employer establishments, 219 for every 10,000 residents (0.88× the US rate of 248; 0.84× Massachusetts's), with 319,255 paid employees at an average annual pay of $63,330. The Census Bureau also counts 68,262 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 19,181; 68,262 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 219; US 248 · Massachusetts 260
Paid employees: 319,255
Average annual pay: $63,330; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Worcester County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	1,756	20.1	1.30×More than typical	12,210	$81,343	5,825
Restaurants and other eating places	1,463	16.7	0.91×About typical	22,818	$25,792	313
Ambulatory health care services	1,415	16.2	0.78×Fewer than typical	24,632	$79,575	3,016
Services to buildings and dwellings	781	8.9	1.33×More than typical	4,256	$45,592	3,291
Construction of buildings	780	8.9	1.18×About typical	3,462	$85,590	2,325
Building equipment contractors	682	7.8	1.30×More than typical	5,184	$79,376	1,209
Lessors of real estate	644	7.4	0.60×Fewer than typical	2,425	$59,915	5,828
Limited-service restaurants	603	6.9	0.86×About typical	8,605	$23,401	115
Full-service restaurants	602	6.9	0.90×About typical	11,216	$27,947	112
Automotive repair and maintenance	522	6	1.19×About typical	2,587	$52,234	704
Landscaping services	514	5.9	1.68×More than typical	2,018	$58,465	834
Building finishing contractors	422	4.8	1.27×More than typical	1,691	$63,930	2,181

Rank places for an industry Open Worcester County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 874,225 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $1.4M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Fitchburg, Massachusetts: $33.08 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.4M; −11% vs FY2025
Per resident: $33.08; US $1,994
Sole-source: 2.3%; US 30%
Single offer: 5.4%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Public Buildings Service$1.2M90%
Department of Veterans Affairs$75.1K5.4%
Department of the Army$38.3K2.8%
Department of the Navy$25.7K1.9%

Top recipients

CORNERSTONE CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, LLC$1.1M81%
DAE SUNG LLC$86.8K6.3%
IMAGE DIAGNOSTICS, INC.$75.1K5.4%
WORK INC$31.9K2.3%
S365 INC$26.3K1.9%
DRS NAVAL POWER SYSTEMS, INC.

Spending by fiscal year

2.1MFY2017
6.4MFY2018
2.3MFY2019
302.6KFY2020
1.1MFY2021
3.6MFY2022
1.5MFY2023
2M

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$1.1M81%
Facilities support services · 5612$86.8K6.3%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$75.1K5.4%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$31.9K2.3%
Special food services · 7223$26.3K1.9%
Electrical equipment manufacturing · 3353$25.7K

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Fitchburg, Massachusetts

PASSENGER ELEVATOR MODERNIZATION AT AT PHILIBIN FEDERAL BUILDING IN FITCHBURG, MA$1.2M
CORNERSTONE CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, LLC· Worcester County, MA· Construction & real property· Jul 29, 2026 – Jul 29, 2026· 47PC5326F0291
AXIAL MOTOR ASSY & TOOLING$103.6K
DRS NAVAL POWER SYSTEMS, INC.· Worcester County, MA· Other equipment & supplies· May 30, 2024 – Oct 6, 2025· N6660424P0127
MOBILE IMAGING TABLE$44K
IMAGE DIAGNOSTICS, INC.· Worcester County, MA· Health & medical· Jul 8, 2026 – Jul 8, 2026· 36C24926F0182
EMERGENCY REMOVAL AND REGROUT STAIRS AND WALLS

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, so they do not add up across cities.

Fitchburg, Massachusetts's figures are part of those of Worcester County, MA ($112.2M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.2% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Fitchburg is mostly in Worcester County.

See federal money in Worcester County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Fitchburg, Massachusetts is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Worcester County83100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Worcester, MA81

Other cities and towns in Worcester County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2523875

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends