Metro area · Massachusetts

Worcester, MA metro area

Worcester, MA is a metropolitan area of 1 county in Massachusetts, home to 888,502 residents. Worcester, MA metro area has a quality-of-life score of 81 out of 100 (very high), ranking #176 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in Massachusetts it ranks #7 of 9. It ranks best on uninsured residents (under 65) (low), firearm deaths (low) and suicide rate (low). It ranks worst on average commute time (high), child care cost burden (high) and high ozone days (high).

81Very high
Quality-of-life score
#176 of 925 metro and micro areas
Massachusetts
#7 of 9 in MA
Population
888,502 (2025)
Land area
1,511 mi²
Density
588.2 /mi²
CBSA code
49340

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map
Location of Worcester, MA metro area

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

  • Safety90#90/924
  • Economy75#231/925
  • Housing13#809/925
  • Health87#123/925
  • Healthcare99#14/923
  • Environment59#374/917
  • Education79#191/925
  • Infrastructure84#153/925
  • Community60#374/925
  • Leisure & amenities43#527/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Worcester, MA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Weaknesses

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.

Metro and micro areas like Worcester, MA metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Worcester, MA metro area 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.

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).

Income

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

Homes

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

Getting to work

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

Jobs and pay

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

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.

Federal contract spending

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

Counties in Worcester, MA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

  1. Worcester CountyCentral county83888,502

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

  1. WorcesterPrincipal city207,055

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

  1. Worcester207,055
  2. Leominster43,909
  3. Fitchburg41,798
  4. Milford27,731
  5. Gardner21,148
  6. Southbridge Town17,928
  7. Webster12,228
  8. Athol8,801
  9. Clinton7,658
  10. Whitinsville7,115
  11. Northborough6,392
  12. Oxford5,671
  13. Spencer5,661
  14. Westborough4,699
  15. Hopedale4,360
  16. Winchendon4,331
  17. Upton3,234
  18. Cordaville2,989
  19. East Douglas2,987
  20. North Brookfield2,659
  21. Baldwinville2,528
  22. Sturbridge2,443
  23. Fiskdale2,311
  24. South Lancaster2,177

Other metro and micro areas in Massachusetts

Areas based in Massachusetts, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

JSON · /api/v1/places/M49340