Worcester County (/ˈwʊstər/ WUUST-ər) is located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 862,111, making it the second-most populous county in Massachusetts. Being 1,510.6 square miles of land area, it is the largest county in Massachusetts by geographic area. The largest city and traditional shire town is Worcester. Worcester County is part of the Worcester, MA–CT metropolitan statistical area and the Boston-Worcester-Providence combined statistical area.

History

Worcester County was formed from the eastern portion of colonial Hampshire County, the western portion of the original Middlesex County and the extreme western portion of the original Suffolk County. When the government of Worcester County was established on April 2, 1731, Worcester was chosen as its shire town (later known as a county seat). From that date until the dissolution of the county government, it was the only county seat. Because of the size of the county, there were fifteen attempts over 140 years to split the county into two counties, but without success.

Initially, Lancaster was proposed as the seat of the northern county; later, Petersham was proposed once and Fitchburg was proposed repeatedly, most recently in 1903. Perhaps as a concession, in August 1884 the Worcester County Registry of Deeds was split in two, with the Worcester Northern registry placed in Fitchburg.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,579 square miles (4,090 km2), of which 1,511 square miles (3,910 km2) is land and 68 square miles (180 km2) (4.3%) is water.

It is the largest county in Massachusetts by area. The county is larger geographically than the entire state of Rhode Island even including Rhode Island's water ocean limit boundaries. The county constitutes Central Massachusetts, separating the Greater Springfield area from the Greater Boston area. It stretches from the northern to the southern border of the state. The geographic center of Massachusetts is in Rutland.

Worcester County is one of two Massachusetts counties that borders three different neighboring states; (New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island); the other being Berkshire County. They are also the only two counties to touch both the northern and southern state lines.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
179056,764—
180061,1927.8%
181064,9106.1%
182073,62513.4%
183084,35514.6%
184095,31313.0%
1850130,78937.2%
1860159,65922.1%
1870192,71620.7%
1880226,89717.7%
1890280,78723.8%
1900346,95823.6%
1910399,65715.2%
1920455,13513.9%
1930491,2427.9%
1940504,4702.7%
1950546,4018.3%
1960583,2286.7%
1970637,9699.4%
1980646,3521.3%
1990709,7059.8%
2000750,9635.8%
2010798,5526.3%
2020862,1118.0%
2025 (est.)888,5023.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010 2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 862,111. Of the residents, 20.7% were under the age of 18 and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.0 males. 78.8% of residents lived in urban areas and 21.2% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 73.6% White, 5.6% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 5.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 6.4% from some other race, and 8.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 13.0% of the population.

There were 331,797 households in the county, of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 351,764 housing units, of which 5.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 63.8% were owner-occupied and 36.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%.

Population density of Worcester County by census block (2020)
Worcester County, Massachusetts – Racial and ethnic compositionNote: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone (NH)649,227644,299611,20786.45%80.68%70.89%
Black or African American alone (NH)18,25729,08444,2222.43%3.64%5.12%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1,4991,2981,1460.19%0.16%0.13%
Asian alone (NH)19,56131,59746,1102.60%3.95%5.34%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)1881781760.02%0.02%0.02%
Other race alone (NH)1,6863,6349,4240.22%0.45%1.09%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)9,68113,04037,9241.28%1.63%4.39%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)50,86475,422111,9026.77%9.44%12.97%
Total750,963798,552862,111100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 798,552 people, 303,080 households, and 202,602 families in the county. The population density was 528.6 inhabitants per square mile (204.1/km2). There were 326,788 housing units at an average density of 216.3 per square mile (83.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 85.6% white, 4.2% black or African American, 4.0% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 3.6% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 9.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 22.2% were Irish, 15.1% were French as well as 6.7% French Canadians, 14.4% were Italian, 11.7% were English, 7.0% were Polish, 6.9% were German, and 3.2% were American.

Of the 303,080 households, 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.2% were non-families, and 26.2% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age was 39.2 years.

The median household income was $64,152 and the median family income was $79,121. Males had a median income of $56,880 versus $42,223 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,557. About 6.9% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families in the county. The population density was 496 inhabitants per square mile (192/km2). There were 298,159 housing units at an average density of 197 per square mile (76/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.61% White, 2.73% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 2.62% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.93% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. 6.77%. were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 15.9% were of Irish, 12.3% Italian, 11.7% French, 8.0% French Canadian, 8.0% English, 5.6% Polish and 5.0% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 85.1% spoke English, 6.1% Spanish and 1.9% French as their first language.

Of the 283,927 households, 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. In addition, 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56, and the average family size was 3.11.

The age distribution was 25.60% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.00% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.

The median household income was $47,874 and the median family income was $58,394. Males had a median income of $42,261 versus $30,516 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,983. About 6.80% of families and 9.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.30% of those under age 18 and 9.50% of those age 65 or over.

Demographic breakdown by town

Income

The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list are reflective of the census designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns. Data is from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.

RankTownPer capita incomeMedian household incomeMedian family incomePopulationNumber of households
1SouthboroughTown$57,436$142,520$161,4199,6713,285
2BoltonTown$52,282$137,120$149,1204,8271,583
3BoylstonTown$52,129$91,734$110,3214,3201,676
CordavilleCDP$51,707$151,836$175,2172,558845
4HarvardTown$50,971$142,411$161,2506,4831,822
5NorthboroughTown$47,953$104,420$122,59214,1805,114
6WestboroughTown$46,631$99,394$127,05218,2856,720
7SterlingTown$44,089$102,270$117,2407,7682,811
8PrincetonTown$43,836$108,319$123,8643,4121,253
9SuttonTown$43,275$107,500$116,2888,9083,128
10UptonTown$43,252$110,083$132,7037,3642,588
11BerlinTown$41,503$94,712$99,3752,8191,029
SturbridgeCDP$41,479$77,692$93,1672,027860
WestboroughCDP$40,901$71,731$87,3753,8831,590
12MendonTown$40,523$93,245$108,1735,7872,055
13HopedaleTown$40,422$98,220$104,3985,9092,275
BarreCDP$39,556$77,602$102,6501,053418
14GraftonTown$39,479$89,950$109,72917,4726,376
NorthboroughCDP$39,266$89,033$108,6366,2262,381
HopedaleCDP$38,687$88,974$101,2803,9471,590
15HoldenTown$38,639$89,660$104,92817,1976,296
16ShrewsburyTown$38,223$88,985$104,03535,26913,095
17SturbridgeTown$37,480$79,044$98,6939,1333,655
18PaxtonTown$37,328$105,072$106,6254,7671,591
UptonCDP$37,247$92,676$120,9622,8671,099
19DouglasTown$35,931$81,000$97,3838,3423,206
20LunenburgTown$35,868$83,265$95,00010,0343,728
MassachusettsState$35,051$65,981$83,3716,512,2272,522,409
LunenburgCDP$34,770$73,750$79,7501,217470
21LancasterTown$34,374$87,962$101,1967,8962,426
22UxbridgeTown$34,346$86,912$94,83013,2334,931
23BarreTown$33,647$73,687$93,2505,3832,065
24MillburyTown$33,467$77,883$86,85513,2505,166
25AuburnTown$33,447$73,559$87,95816,1836,318
26CharltonTown$33,250$91,653$98,78912,8274,306
27BlackstoneTown$32,988$73,586$87,7529,0283,472
South LancasterCDP$32,942$70,625$81,1671,988766
28AshburnhamTown$32,880$81,842$98,0566,0332,184
29HubbardstonTown$32,618$83,333$95,2034,3411,538
30New BraintreeTown$32,568$88,571$93,4581,124380
31MilfordTown$32,219$64,860$80,12727,92510,493
32RoyalstonTown$32,031$59,609$73,1251,058455
33HardwickTown$31,974$61,298$72,4582,9531,153
Worcester CountyCounty$31,470$65,772$81,342794,981299,089
34WestminsterTown$31,391$78,632$82,5967,2502,611
East BrookfieldCDP$31,316$66,339$84,5501,270479
35OakhamTown$31,237$79,700$83,6761,822680
36RutlandTown$30,961$83,734$101,4867,8122,558
37NorthbridgeTown$30,945$68,981$87,35915,4755,538
MilfordCDP$30,678$60,840$72,92725,1949,494
38ClintonTown$30,563$61,796$77,96413,6145,672
39LeicesterTown$30,301$72,471$80,28810,9343,858
FiskdaleCDP$30,230$75,655$89,5952,9071,133
40OxfordTown$30,149$68,567$83,16113,7025,343
41North BrookfieldTown$30,106$64,009$76,6904,6861,931
42West BrookfieldTown$29,782$62,685$84,8683,7301,488
East DouglasCDP$29,760$73,372$74,8282,8351,146
43SpencerTown$29,687$59,420$77,38411,7154,686
44East BrookfieldTown$29,416$62,350$82,7502,058737
45BrookfieldTown$29,392$62,390$77,9933,3631,353
46MillvilleTown$29,049$73,426$84,0003,1541,060
West BrookfieldCDP$28,704$56,625$95,5561,853705
47West BoylstonTown$28,547$73,600$89,6817,6602,308
48LeominsterCity$28,445$58,585$73,70440,88416,095
49PhillipstonTown$28,273$74,043$75,2341,894648
North BrookfieldCDP$28,163$50,346$64,1812,035912
50WarrenTown$28,112$51,188$69,8735,1062,067
OxfordCDP$27,990$67,054$79,8326,5662,418
United StatesCountry$27,915$52,762$64,293306,603,772114,761,359
South AshburnhamCDP$27,758$76,932$77,3861,104345
51PetershamTown$27,475$65,781$81,2501,263445
52WebsterTown$27,430$49,621$65,20416,7527,344
53DudleyTown$27,319$72,500$78,92011,2763,780
WhitinsvilleCDP$27,135$58,846$62,3146,8942,424
SpencerCDP$27,059$47,183$66,9325,3922,417
54TempletonTown$26,891$70,116$75,7537,8962,846
BaldwinvilleCDP$26,585$66,700$77,0612,061750
ClintonCDP$26,256$54,514$72,8597,4923,032
RutlandCDP$25,987$62,500$78,9292,352758
55WinchendonTown$25,845$58,137$73,16210,2503,743
WarrenCDP$25,245$41,200$71,7221,408564
56GardnerCity$24,974$48,108$63,41320,3238,037
57WorcesterCity$24,544$45,846$55,927180,51970,248
58AtholTown$24,384$50,866$59,09511,5764,551
WebsterCDP$24,109$43,702$53,14511,6825,195
59FitchburgCity$24,061$48,064$55,29340,28614,741
60SouthbridgeCity$21,923$43,965$52,57716,8006,548
WinchendonCDP$21,914$36,711$52,8683,8601,638
AtholCDP$21,553$47,330$52,1397,8673,150
DevensCDP$13,933$72,986$73,1941,704113

Government and politics

State government
State Representative(s):by community
State Senator(s):by community
Governor's Councilor(s):Paul M. DePalo (D)
Federal government
U.S. Representative(s):by Congressional district
U.S. Senators:Elizabeth Warren (D), Ed Markey (D)

Worcester County is one of the 8 (of the total of 14) Massachusetts counties that have had no county government or county commissioners since July 1, 1998, when county functions were assumed by state agencies at local option[clarification needed] following a change in state law. The county has an elected county sheriff, county prosecutor, and court officials, administered under the state department of public safety. The state correctional system in the county is known as the Worcester County Jail or "House of Corrections" at West Boylston, and the Worcester County District courts (state administered) are housed at Worcester, Fitchburg, and other district courts within county boundaries. The Worcester County district attorney is a county-wide position even though the district includes one town from a neighboring county. In Massachusetts, Sheriffs have more limited roles than most states and are responsible for corrections, court service and bailiffs and jail release programs. County Sheriffs in Massachusetts are elected to six-year terms. The Worcester County Sheriff is Lewis Evangelidis (R), and the Worcester County District Attorney is Joseph Early Jr. (D) (see the info-box for elected officials at county level). The Worcester County Conservation District has countywide boundaries. The county has a regional planning commission.

Massachusetts law allows regional compacts, traditional counties and other governmental entities. Traditional County governments in the state include Norfolk, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket, and Plymouth Counties. Barnstable County, which is Cape Cod, functions as a modern regional county government. Suffolk County, which is mainly Boston, is under the Boston City Council. The Massachusetts General Laws describe this relationship of county government and the options for abolishing county governments and/or chartering regional governmental compacts in subchapter 34 B. Four other new county compacts have been created by the state legislature in Hampshire, Franklin, Barnstable Counties, and a regional planning council level for Berkshire County. Thus 9 of 14 Counties have some form of county regional governments. Worcester County could exercise that option if it chooses, such as for public safety and/or preparedness due to its rather large geography, by a request to and a special act of the legislature, by local referendum, or by one of three mechanisms. See the references for the state statute, and the League of Women Voters link.

Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 17, 2018
PartyNumber of votersPercentage
Democratic142,91026.10%
Republican66,68912.18%
Unenrolled329,23260.12%
Minor Parties2,2310.41%
Total547,585100%
United States presidential election results for Worcester County, Massachusetts
YearRepublicanDemocraticThird party(ies)
No.%No.%No.%
2024183,80243.67%225,68053.63%11,3592.70%
2020171,68339.74%248,77357.58%11,5582.68%
2016157,68240.44%198,77850.98%33,4918.59%
2012163,39044.27%198,24453.71%7,4782.03%
2008152,10141.83%202,10755.59%9,3862.58%
2004144,09442.30%192,14256.41%4,4001.29%
2000114,13936.80%173,76956.03%22,2407.17%
199687,02129.84%169,89258.26%34,70411.90%
1992101,98432.30%138,12243.74%75,67623.96%
1988148,36550.59%141,48548.25%3,4061.16%
1984156,06056.45%119,49843.23%8820.32%
1980120,10043.11%117,32642.12%41,13514.77%
1976105,21736.89%172,32060.41%7,7082.70%
1972127,56046.70%144,13952.77%1,4280.52%
196888,35433.32%168,43763.52%8,3883.16%
196461,38822.60%209,38377.08%8600.32%
1960112,73039.37%173,10360.46%5000.17%
1956163,40160.10%107,88939.68%5800.21%
1952146,09453.00%128,89846.76%6450.23%
1948106,75743.62%133,82354.68%4,1771.71%
194498,41444.28%123,44055.54%4040.18%
1940100,46842.92%132,54156.62%1,0990.47%
193685,31640.48%114,13654.15%11,3125.37%
193288,53549.08%87,58648.55%4,2812.37%
192894,29052.09%85,67547.33%1,0450.58%
192489,67967.14%31,17123.34%12,7269.53%
192081,24168.63%34,66729.29%2,4642.08%
191632,54152.76%27,54044.65%1,5992.59%
191224,71942.06%17,56529.88%16,49228.06%
190834,39462.06%16,80330.32%4,2287.63%
190434,12463.83%17,03731.87%2,3004.30%
190032,41262.84%17,14833.24%2,0223.92%
189635,57973.37%10,85522.38%2,0594.25%
189227,13054.84%20,79742.04%1,5443.12%
188825,00556.27%17,93040.35%1,5023.38%
188421,66155.32%12,71232.47%4,78312.22%
188023,04063.17%12,85235.24%5831.60%
187622,05460.43%14,31939.23%1230.34%
187219,82773.49%7,15326.51%00.00%
186819,86076.77%6,00923.23%00.00%

Communities

The entire area of Worcester County is incorporated into cities and towns. The U.S. census also defines places inside one or more towns for statistical purposes. On this map, cities are shaded in gray.

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost town

Notable people

See also

Further reading

  • Mary Babson Fuhrer, A Crisis of Community: The Trials and Transformation of a New England Town, 1815-1848. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2014.
  • , Boston, Mass.: Briggs & Co., 1878

External links

  • (PDF). Archived from (PDF) on November 13, 2004.
  • March 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  • March 17, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  • of cities, towns, Native American reservations, and census-designated places

42°21′N 71°55′W/42.35°N 71.91°W/ 42.35; -71.91