Worcester County, Massachusetts Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Worcester County is located in Massachusetts with a total population of 867,788. It is the 2nd most populous county out of 14 in Massachusetts. The county encompasses 34 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Worcester County is 40.2 years. This is about the same as the state median of 40.0 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Worcester County is $95,939. This is 8% lower than the state median of $103,960. It is also 19% higher than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 10.3%. This is 3% higher than the state poverty rate of 10.0%. The unemployment rate is 5.3%. This is 2% higher than the state rate of 5.1%. The median home value is $423,700. Housing costs are 25% lower than the state median of $562,100. The home-value-to-income ratio is 4.4x. 65.8% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 5% higher than the state average of 62.5%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Worcester County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 70.3% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 13.7%.

Education

39.7% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 16% lower than the state rate of 47.3%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 91.2%. Notably, 16.8% of adults hold a graduate or professional degree, indicating a highly educated workforce.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Worcester County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, with comparisons drawn against Massachusetts and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.