Census-designated place · Otsego County, New York

Worcester, New York

Worcester is a census-designated place in Otsego County, New York, part of the Oneonta, NY metro area. It has 1,032 residents. Worcester, New York has a quality-of-life score of 55 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,035 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New York it ranks #651 of 859 cities and towns. It ranks best on rent as share of income (low), primary care physicians (high) and hot days (low). It ranks worst on average commute time (high), new business applications (low) and comfortable days (low).

55Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,035 of 15,651 cities and towns
New York: #651 of 859 in NY
Population: 1,032 (2020-2024)
Land area: 9 mi²
Density: 120.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 3683118

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 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.

Safety87#2,063/15,637
Economy28#11,314/15,631
Housing62#5,702/14,977
Health50#7,783/15,609
Healthcare59#6,402/15,650
Environment71#4,421/15,453
Education52#7,540/15,649
Infrastructure19#12,717/15,650
Community30#10,891/15,651
Leisure & amenities79#3,279/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Worcester, New York ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Otsego 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

Rent as share of income · low9.0%
100/100New York 31.2%United States 30.6%2018-2022U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071At most this value: the publisher's bottom bracket is open-ended
Primary care physicians · high142 /100k
98/100New York 83 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOtsego County value
Hot days · low1 days
98/100New York 3 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationOtsego County value
Students per teacher · low10.4×
97/100New York 12.0×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsOtsego County value
Violent crime rate · low65 /100k
95/100New York 368 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationOtsego County value
Mammography screening · high56.0%
94/100New York 46.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOtsego County value

Weaknesses

Average commute time · high33.2 min
2/100New York 32.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
New business applications · low6.9 /1k
2/100New York 15.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauOtsego County value
Comfortable days · low22.4%
5/100New York 22.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationOtsego County value
Dental care shortage · high18.0
6/100New York 3.7United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationOtsego County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.462
7/100New York 0.517United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Suicide rate · high24.9 /100k
9/100New York 8.5 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataOtsego County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
889 (2015-2019) → 1,032 (2020-2024)
+16%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
39.3% (2015-2019) → 100.0% (2020-2024)
+61 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateWorsening
25.8% (2015-2019) → 52.1% (2020-2024)
+26 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateWorsening
9.9% (2015-2019) → 35.9% (2020-2024)
+26 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
24.6% (2015-2019) → 9.0% (2018-2022)
−16 pts3 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$46,159 (2015-2019) → $64,474 (2020-2024)
+40%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Worcester, New York improved on 0 of 8 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 8 measures

Change of every measure of Worcester, New York between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	28.6 min2015-2019	33.2 min2020-2024	+4.7 min	Within the margin of error	11%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.3%2015-2019	23.8%2020-2024	−3.5 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Broadband subscriptions	83.4%2015-2019	90.3%2020-2024	+6.9 points	Within the margin of error	43%
High school diploma or higher	90.1%2015-2019	94.8%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	−0.1×	Within the margin of error	82%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3652015-2019	0.4622020-2024	+0.098	Within the margin of error	5%
Median household income	$46,1592015-2019	$64,4742020-2024	+40%	Within the margin of error	73%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%

“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 Worcester, New York five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Worcester, New York 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, Worcester, New York itself moved −9.4 points in standing on average over the same 7 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

1,032 residents (±248)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 women (+8.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,032 residents (±248)

Worcester, New York
New York share

White75%771
Black0.2%†2
Hispanic or Latino22%†229

Education

659 residents (±171)

Worcester, New York
New York share

No high school diploma5.2%†34
High school or GED30%†198
Some college28%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

360 households (±94)

Worcester, New York
New York share

Under $25k28%†99
$25k–50k13%†45
$50k–75k14%†51
$75k–100k11%†41
$100k–150k19%†68
$150k–200k3.6%†13
$200k or more12%†43

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−29.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

360 households (±94)

Worcester, New York
New York share

Own86%310
Rent14%†50

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

50 households (±77)

Worcester, New York
New York share

Under $750100%†50
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,5000.0%0

Home values

310 homes (±75)

Worcester, New York
New York share

Under $150k51%†159
$150k–250k38%†119
$250k–400k8.1%†25

Age of homes

440 homes (±96)

Worcester, New York
New York share

2010 or later0.0%0
2000–20090.0%0
1980–199915%†67

Size of homes

440 homes (±96)

Worcester, New York
New York share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom4.8%†21
2 bedrooms35%†156

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

380 workers (±140)

Worcester, New York
New York share

Drive alone77%†294
Carpool6.8%†26
Public transit0.0%0
Walk5.3%†20
Bike0.0%0
Work from home11%†40
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+8.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

340 workers (±140)

Worcester, New York
New York share

Under 15 min16%†56
15–29 min42%†143
30–44 min19%†66

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Oneonta, NY

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 Otsego County, the county holding most of Worcester's residents.

Otsego County has 1,295 employer establishments, 214 for every 10,000 residents (0.86× the US rate of 248; 0.78× New York's), with 18,030 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,740. The Census Bureau also counts 4,524 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,295; 4,524 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 214; US 248 · New York 274
Paid employees: 18,030
Average annual pay: $55,740; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	109	18	0.98×About typical	1,257	$24,865	23
Ambulatory health care services	76	12.5	0.60×Fewer than typical	969	$56,152	248
Full-service restaurants	60	9.9	1.29×More than typical	660	$24,874	7
Specialty trade contractors	58	9.6	0.62×Fewer than typical	161	$61,988	524
Religious organizations	47	7.8	1.40×More than typical	173	$15,208	—
Lessors of real estate	42	6.9	0.56×Fewer than typical	132	$41,750	458
Gasoline stations	37	6.1	1.88×More than typical	283	$26,770	—
Limited-service restaurants	34	5.6	0.70×Fewer than typical	505	$25,168	13
Services to buildings and dwellings	32	5.3	0.78×Fewer than typical	173	$51,908	238
Traveler accommodation	32	5.3	2.93×More than typical	538	$32,989	45
Automotive repair and maintenance	30	5	0.98×About typical	101	$46,208	64
Construction of buildings	30	5	0.65×Fewer than typical	104	$57,529	203

Rank places for an industry Open Otsego County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 60,581 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Worcester, New York: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

55.9FY2018

What was bought

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 Worcester, New York, so they do not add up across cities.

Worcester, New York's figures are part of those of Otsego County, NY ($13.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Otsego 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.

Worcester, New York is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Josh RileyD-NY-19 · 100% of residentsWith party 89%Missed 1.8%

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.

Otsego County77100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Oneonta, NY83

Other cities and towns in Otsego 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
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/3683118