HomeMassachusettsWorcester County
Worcester County, Massachusetts: commercial real estate data.
Worcester County, Massachusetts had an estimated 881,248 residents on July 1, 2024, up 2.2 percent since the 2020 census base of 862,104, across 1,511 square miles. County output reached $60.95 bn in 2024, 19,181 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1,025 7(a) approvals worth $370.6 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Worcester County
How many people live in Worcester County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024867,788
- Households335,826
- Average household size2.58
- Median household income$95,939
- Median age40.2
- Median gross rent$1,426 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$423,700
- Home value to household income4.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher39.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree16.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over609,049
- Population under 18178,921
- Share under 1820.6 percent
- Population 65 and over147,690
- Share 65 and over17.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64541,177
- Civilian labor force471,761
- Unemployment rate5.3 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over68.5 percent
- Rank by population among Massachusetts counties2nd of 14
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included69th of 3,222
Worcester County is the 2nd largest of 14 Massachusetts counties by population. A median home costs 4.4 times median household income, which is seriously unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 20.6 percent against 17.0 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Worcester County
Is Worcester County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 2024881,248
- Census 2020 base population862,104
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.22 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 20248,435
- Births, 20248,460
- Deaths, 20247,722
- Natural change, 2024738
- Net domestic migration, 2024-1,804
- Net international migration, 20249,470
- Total net migration, 20247,666
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-4,547
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1100th of 3,144
The county has grown 2.22 percent since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Worcester County
Where are people moving to Worcester County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving16,070
- People arriving, from those returns26,152
- Tax returns filed by households leaving17,435
- Net household movement-1,365
- Adjusted gross income arriving$1.41 bn
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-190.4 m
- Average income of an arriving household$87,853
- Average income of a leaving household$91,894
- Largest single originMiddlesex County (4,944 households)
- Largest single destinationMiddlesex County (3,037 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex County | 4,944 | 8,406 | $517.3 m |
| Norfolk County | 1,087 | 1,803 | $101.3 m |
| Suffolk County | 1,015 | 1,537 | $95.4 m |
| Essex County | 620 | 1,045 | $44.2 m |
| Providence County | 507 | 738 | $31.5 m |
| Hampden County | 462 | 701 | $29.0 m |
| Bristol County | 363 | 600 | $30.0 m |
| Plymouth County | 266 | 424 | $20.0 m |
Households arriving report $4,041 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Middlesex County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Worcester County
What is the Worcester County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$60.95 bn
- County GDP, 2023$58.37 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.4 percent
- GDP change over five years31.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Massachusetts areas BEA publishes4th of 14
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes97th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$70,233
Output grew 4.4 percent in the latest year and 31.8 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Worcester County
Employment by industry in Worcester County
- Covered employment, annual average351,476
- Establishments reporting27,743
- Average annual pay$71,641
- Average weekly wage$1,378
- Health care and social assistance, employment72,626
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$68,397
- Retail trade, employment37,057
- Retail trade, average annual pay$41,663
- Manufacturing, employment35,042
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$91,807
- Accommodation and food services, employment25,832
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$29,398
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment18,282
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment17,609
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 72,626 | 9,350 | $68,397 |
| Retail trade | 37,057 | 2,307 | $41,663 |
| Manufacturing | 35,042 | 881 | $91,807 |
| Accommodation and food services | 25,832 | 1,596 | $29,398 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 18,282 | 1,261 | $53,785 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 17,609 | 2,445 | $118,165 |
| Construction | 16,905 | 2,526 | $90,345 |
| Finance and insurance | 11,623 | 886 | $118,404 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 72,626 jobs, 20.7 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Worcester County
How many businesses are in Worcester County?
- Establishments, all industries19,181
- Employment at those establishments319,255
- Annual payroll$20.22 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents22.1
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Worcester County
Building permits in Worcester County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20242,506
- Declared construction value permitted$670.9 m
- Single family units authorized964
- Multifamily units authorized1,542
- Multifamily share of units61.5 percent
- Average declared value per unit$267,730
- Units authorized per 1,000 households7.5
Multifamily is 61.5 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Worcester County
SBA loans in Worcester County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded1,025
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$370.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$361,603
- Median 7(a) approval$100,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$960,840
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)9,513
- Jobs per approval9.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active104
- Distinct industries receiving approvals260
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer5.6 percent
- Loans on real estate terms57
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter930
- Franchise loans77
- Franchise share of approvals7.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLandscaping Services (45)
- Most active lenderTD Bank, National Association (157)
- 504 approvals recorded527
- 504 gross approval dollars$328.7 m
- Average 504 approval$623,774
- Median 504 approval$351,000
- Distinct CDCs active8
- 504 jobs per approval6.6
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.5
- Most active CDCGranite State Economic Development Corporation (183)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$699.4 m
The average approval of $361,603 sits well above the median of $100,000, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 5.6 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Worcester County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Worcester County
Do SBA loans in Worcester County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded196
- Paid in full186
- Charged off10
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans5.1 percent
- Status: Paid in full186
- Status: Cancelled125
- Status: Exempt from disclosure651
- Status: Charged off10
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed53
Of the 196 loans that have reached a final outcome, 5.1 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Worcester County
SBA lending by place in Worcester County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending73
- Worcester, approvals199
- Leominster, approvals69
- Westborough, approvals67
- Shrewsbury, approvals63
- Northborough, approvals38
- Fitchburg, approvals38
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Worcester | 199 | $66,763,700 |
| Leominster | 69 | $37,860,500 |
| Westborough | 67 | $22,203,200 |
| Shrewsbury | 63 | $19,223,600 |
| Northborough | 38 | $15,912,700 |
| Fitchburg | 38 | $12,772,000 |
| Milford | 36 | $26,876,900 |
| Auburn | 33 | $16,012,400 |
| 65 other borrower cities | 482 | $153,018,500 |
Worcester accounts for 199 approvals against 69 in Leominster. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Worcester County
How large is Worcester County?
- Land area1,511 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Massachusetts counties1st of 14
- Width, east to west42.8 mi
- Height, north to south49.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary8
- Residents per square mile of land574
- Establishments per square mile12.69
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Worcester County
Flood risk in Worcester County
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book60
- Of those, participating in the NFIP59
- NFIP participation rate98.3 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 7
- Communities carrying a CRS class1
- Radon levels in Worcester County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The EPA places Worcester County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. The best Community Rating System class among the county's communities is 7, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for policies written in that community. 98.3 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Worcester County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Worcester County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024867,788
- Households335,826
- Average household size2.58
- Median household income$95,939
- Median age40.2
Common questions
Worcester County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Worcester County, Massachusetts?
The Census Bureau estimates 881,248 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 867,788, in 335,826 households, ranking 2nd of 14 Massachusetts counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Worcester County's population growing?
The population has grown 2.22 percent since the 2020 census base of 862,104, to 881,248 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 8,460 births against 7,722 deaths, with net migration of 7,666. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Worcester County?
$95,939. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $423,700, which is 4.4 times income, and median gross rent is $1,426 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Worcester County?
19,181 establishments, employing 319,255 people with an annual payroll of $20.22 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Worcester County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 72,626 jobs, 20.7 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 351,476 jobs at an average annual pay of $71,641, or $1,378 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Worcester County?
1,025 7(a) approvals totaling $370.6 m since FY2020, across 104 lenders, with a median approval of $100,000, plus 527 504 approvals worth $328.7 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Worcester County get paid back?
Of the 196 loans that have reached a final outcome, 186 were paid in full and 10 charged off, a charge-off rate of 5.1 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Worcester County?
2,506 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $670.9 m. Multifamily was 61.5 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Worcester County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Worcester County come from?
The largest single origin is Middlesex County, with 4,944 households. Arriving households report an average income of $87,853 against $91,894 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Worcester County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Worcester County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Worcester County
Cities and places in Worcester.
35 Census places lie wholly or partly in Worcester County. All 35 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester | city | 207,055 | 199 | Wholly in this county |
| Leominster | city | 43,909 | 69 | Wholly in this county |
| Fitchburg | city | 41,798 | 38 | Wholly in this county |
| Milford | CDP | 27,731 | 36 | Wholly in this county |
| Gardner | city | 21,148 | 14 | Wholly in this county |
| Southbridge Town | city | 17,928 | 11 | Wholly in this county |
| Webster | CDP | 12,228 | 15 | Wholly in this county |
| Athol | CDP | 8,801 | 9 | Wholly in this county |
| Clinton | CDP | 7,658 | 15 | Wholly in this county |
| Whitinsville | CDP | 7,115 | 15 | Wholly in this county |
| Northborough | CDP | 6,392 | 38 | Wholly in this county |
| Oxford | CDP | 5,671 | 12 | Wholly in this county |
| Spencer | CDP | 5,661 | 9 | Wholly in this county |
| Westborough | CDP | 4,699 | 67 | Wholly in this county |
| Hopedale | CDP | 4,360 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Winchendon | CDP | 4,331 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Upton | CDP | 3,234 | 9 | Wholly in this county |
| Cordaville | CDP | 2,989 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| East Douglas | CDP | 2,987 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| North Brookfield | CDP | 2,659 | 7 | Wholly in this county |
| Baldwinville | CDP | 2,528 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Sturbridge | CDP | 2,443 | 10 | Wholly in this county |
| Fiskdale | CDP | 2,311 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| South Lancaster | CDP | 2,177 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Lunenburg | CDP | 2,057 | 10 | Wholly in this county |
| Rutland | CDP | 2,019 | 14 | Wholly in this county |
| Devens | CDP | 1,723 | None recorded | 57.4 percent here, 42.6 percent Middlesex County |
| West Brookfield | CDP | 1,563 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| South Ashburnham | CDP | 1,500 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| East Brookfield | CDP | 1,445 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Warren | CDP | 1,426 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Brookfield | CDP | 828 | 9 | Wholly in this county |
| Barre | CDP | 673 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| West Warren | CDP | 613 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Petersham | CDP | 312 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 396 of the county's 1,025 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Worcester County, the largest being Shrewsbury (63), Auburn (33), Southborough (31). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.