Worcester, Massachusetts Population 2020

186,433

Worcester is a city located in Massachusetts. With a 2020 population of 186,433, it is the 2nd largest city in Massachusetts (after Boston) and the 138th largest city in the United States. Worcester is currently growing at a rate of 0.15% annually and its population has increased by 2.98% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 181,045 in 2010. Worcester reached it's highest population of 203,486 in 1950. Spanning over 38 miles, Worcester has a population density of 4,990 people per square mile.

The average household income in Worcester is $66,512 with a poverty rate of 21.12%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,064 per month, and the median house value is $220,700. The median age in Worcester is 34.4 years, 33 years for males, and 35.7 years for females. For every 100 females there are 96.1 males.

Worcester serves as the county seat for Worcester County. Its location in Central Massachusetts has earned it the nickname, “Heart of the Commonwealth.”

Diversity and Population Statistics

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 Population Growth

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.

Worcester Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Worcester was:

White: 68.97%
Black or African American: 13.08%
Asian: 7.58%
Other race: 5.59%
Two or more races: 4.29%
Native American: 0.46%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.03%

The current population of Worcester, Massachusetts is 186,433, based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates. The US Census estimates the 2018 population at 185,877.The last official US Census in 2010 recorded the population at 181,045.

Worcester, Massachusetts Population 2020

Population by Race

Race	Population	Percentage
White	127,726	68.97%
Black or African American	24,217	13.08%
Asian	14,046	7.58%
Some Other Race	10,352	5.59%
Two or More Races	7,946	4.29%
American Indian and Alaska Native	854	0.46%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	54	0.03%

Worcester Population by Race

Worcester Population Pyramid 2020

Worcester Population by Age

Worcester Households and Families

Worcester Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Worcester Household Types

Type	Owner	Renter
Married	65.8%	34.2%
All	41.9%	58.1%
Male	41.7%	58.3%
Non Family	30.2%	69.8%
Female	27.5%	72.5%

41.9%

Rate of Home Ownership

Worcester Households and Families

Type	Count	Average Size	Owned
All	71,145	2.41	41.9
Non Family	33,202	1.31	30.2
Married	23,006	3.31	65.8
Female	11,231	3.44	27.5
Male	3,706	3.56	41.7

3.23

Average Family Size

2.41

Average Household Size

6.5%

Unmarried (Opposite Sex)

0.4%

Unmarried (Same Sex)

Worcester Households by Type

Worcester Education

Education Attained	Count	Percentage
Less Than 9th Grade	7,078	5.85%
9th to 12th Grade	11,615	9.60%
High School Graduate	35,851	29.62%
Some College	20,329	16.80%
Associates Degree	9,725	8.03%
Bachelors Degree	22,310	18.43%
Graduate Degree	14,128	11.67%

Worcester Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Worcester Educational Attainment by Race

Name	Total	High School	Bachelors
White	74,391	67,219	26,241
Hispanic	21,821	14,732	2,101
Black	13,755	11,546	3,726
Asian	9,391	7,406	3,926
Other Race	6,217	3,758	593
Multiple Races	3,250	2,702	620
Native American	502	356	66
Islander	44	44	30

The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100.00%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among islander people with a rate of 68.18%.

Worcester Educational Attainment by Race

Name	Average	Male	Female
Overall	$40,153	$43,496	$35,305
Less Than High School	$25,087	$28,074	$19,370
High School Grad	$31,758	$38,815	$25,760
Some College	$38,066	$41,958	$35,103
Bachelors Degree	$48,829	$51,520	$45,835
Graduate Degree	$65,628	$71,903	$62,313

$40,153

Average Earnings

$43,496

Average Male

$35,305

Average Female

Worcester Earnings by Educational Attainment

Worcester Language

Worcester Language by Age

Worcester Language

66.07% of Worcester residents speak only English, while 33.93% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 14.92% of the population.

Worcester Language

Worcester Poverty

Worcester Poverty by Race

Name	Total	In Poverty	Poverty Rate
White	94,578	16,347	17.28%
Hispanic	38,141	12,682	33.25%
Black	23,163	4,551	19.65%
Other	10,089	2,827	28.02%
Asian	13,366	2,397	17.93%
Multiple	7,545	2,123	28.14%
Native	828	233	28.14%
Islander	44	14	31.82%

21.12%

Overall Poverty Rate

19.12%

Male Poverty Rate

23.05%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Worcester

The race most likely to be in poverty in Worcester is Hispanic, with 33.25% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Worcester is White, with 17.28% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.27%. Among those working part-time, it was 20.26%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 36.60%.

Worcester Poverty

Name	Poverty
Less Than High School	33.50%
High School	19.22%
Some College	14.22%
Bachelors or Greater	9.00%

Worcester Poverty Rate by Education

Name	Poverty
Female Unemployed	40.38%
Male Unemployed	27.68%
Female Employed	7.87%
Male Employed	6.50%

Worcester Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Worcester Income

Worcester Income by Household Type

Name	Median	Mean
Households	$46,407	$66,512
Families	$60,991	$80,787
Married Families	$82,835	$100,901
Non Families	$32,609	$46,876

Income by Household Type

Worcester Marital Status

Marriage Rates

33.7%

Overall Marriage Rate

35.2%

Male Marriage Rate

32.2%

Female Marriage Rate

Worcester Married by Age and Sex

Worcester Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.

Worcester Marital Status by Race

Worcester Marital Status

Worcester Veterans

7,445

Number of Veterans

6,977

Male Veterans

468

Female Veterans

War	Veterans
Vietnam	2,389
Second Gulf War	1,079
First Gulf War	976
Korea	750
World War II	693

Worcester Veterans by War

Age Group	Veterans
75+	2,198
65 to 74	1,643
35 to 54	1,625
55 to 64	1,417
18 to 34	562

Worcester Veterans by Age

Name	Veterans	% of Total
White	6,687	6.22%
Hispanic	436	1.59%
Black	419	2.46%
Asian	132	1.13%
2 or More	101	2.28%
Other	99	1.27%
Indian	7	1.15%

Worcester Veterans by Race

Worcester Veterans by Education

9.97%

Veteran Poverty Rate

34.38%

Veteran Disability Rate

Worcester Veterans by Education

Worcester Employment Status

59.8%

Labor Force Participation

55.8%

Employment Rate

6.6%

Unemployment Rate

Worcester Employment by Age

Worcester Employment by Race

Worcester Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

56.68%

Born in Massachusetts

78.72%

Native Born

21.28%

Foreign Born

10.82%

Non Citizen

Place of Birth

78.72% of Worcester residents were born in the United States, with 56.68% having been born in Massachusetts. 10.82% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Worcester Place of Birth

Year	Population	Growth	Annual Growth Rate
2020	186,433	278	0.15%
2019	186,155	278	0.15%
2018	185,877	460	0.25%
2017	185,417	278	0.15%
2016	185,139	229	0.12%
2015	184,910	212	0.11%
2014	184,698	1,240	0.68%
2013	183,458	764	0.42%
2012	182,694	205	0.11%
2011	182,489	611	0.34%
2010	181,878	9,230	0.52%
2000	172,648	2,889	0.17%
1990	169,759	7,960	0.48%
1980	161,799	-14,773	-0.87%
1970	176,572	-10,015	-0.55%
1960	186,587	-16,899	-0.86%
1950	203,486	9,792	0.49%
1940	193,694	-1,617	-0.08%
1930	195,311	15,557	0.83%
1920	179,754	33,768	2.10%
1910	145,986	27,565	2.11%
1900	118,421	33,766	3.41%
1890	84,655	26,364	3.80%
1880	58,291	17,186	3.55%
1870	41,105	16,145	5.12%
1860	24,960	7,911	3.89%
1850	17,049	9,552	8.56%
1840	7,497	3,324	6.03%
1830	4,173	1,173	3.36%
1820	3,000	400	1.44%
1810	2,600	200	0.80%
1800	2,400	300	1.34%
1790	2,100		0.00%

Worcester, Massachusetts Population 2020

Diversity and Population Statistics

Worcester Population Growth

Worcester Demographics

Worcester, Massachusetts Population 2020

Population by Race

Worcester Population by Race

Worcester Population Pyramid 2020

Worcester Median Age

Worcester Adults

Worcester Age Dependency

Worcester Sex Ratio

Worcester Population by Age

Worcester Households and Families

Worcester Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Worcester Household Types

Worcester Households and Families

Worcester Households by Type

Worcester Education

Worcester Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Worcester Educational Attainment by Race

Worcester Educational Attainment by Race

Worcester Earnings by Educational Attainment

Worcester Language

Worcester Language by Age

Worcester Language

Worcester Language

Worcester Poverty

Worcester Poverty by Race

Poverty in Worcester

Worcester Poverty

Worcester Poverty Rate by Education

Worcester Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Worcester Income

Worcester Income by Household Type

Income by Household Type

Worcester Marital Status

Worcester Marital Status

Marriage Rates

Worcester Married by Age and Sex

Worcester Marriage

Worcester Marital Status by Race

Worcester Marital Status

Worcester Veterans

Worcester Veterans by War

Worcester Veterans by Age

Worcester Veterans by Race

Worcester Veterans by Education

Worcester Veterans by Education

Worcester Employment Status

Worcester Employment by Age

Worcester Employment by Race

Worcester Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Place of Birth

Worcester Place of Birth

Worcester Population by Year