Worcester is a city located in Worcester County Massachusetts. Worcester has a 2023 population of 205,272. It is also the county seat of Worcester County.Worcester is currently declining at a rate of -0.16% annually and its population has decreased by -0.47% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 206,242 in 2020.
The average household income in Worcester is $76,859 with a poverty rate of 19.28%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Worcester is 34.4 years, 33.1 years for males, and 35.6 years for females.
Worcester serves as the county seat for Worcester County. Its location in Central Massachusetts has earned it the nickname, “Heart of the Commonwealth.”
Nearly 21% of the population is of Hispanic or Latino origin. Worcester has always been appealing to immigrants from all around the globe, and many different ethnicities can be found living within the city, including French, Puerto Ricans, Poles, Lebanese, Indians, and Brazilians—to name a few.
Worcester’s population grew significantly throughout its early years, primarily due to immigration. A community of just over 2,400 people at the beginning of the 19th century exploded to over 118,000 in the next century. This number continued to rise until reaching its peak of 203,486 in 1950. After this, the population began to drop until finally growth was re-recorded in 1990. Since the last census in 2010, the population is up nearly 2% indicating that this city is growing once again.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Worcester was:
3.14
Average Family Size
2.4
Average Household Size
42.4%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
63.01% of Worcester residents speak only English, while 36.99% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 18.11% of the population.
19.28%
Overall Poverty Rate
17.87%
Male Poverty Rate
20.67%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Worcester is Native, with 72.62% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Worcester is White, with 16.96% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.25%. Among those working part-time, it was 20.85%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 35.68%.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
34.0%
Overall Marriage Rate
35.8%
Male Marriage Rate
32.3%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
11.3%
Veteran Poverty Rate
29.85%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
62.5%
Labor Force Participation
58.6%
Employment Rate
6.2%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
54.17%
Born in Worcester
77.32%
Native Born
21.68%
Foreign Born
10.04%
Non Citizen
11.64%
Naturalized
77.32% of Worcester residents were born in the United States, with 54.17% having been born in Massachusetts. 10.04% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.