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Worcester County, Massachusetts facts for kids

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Worcester County
County
Worcester County Courthouse
Worcester County Courthouse
Official seal of Worcester County
Seal
Map of Massachusetts highlighting Worcester County
Location within the U.S. state of Massachusetts
Map of the United States highlighting Massachusetts
Massachusetts's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Massachusetts
Founded April 2, 1731
Seat Worcester
Largest city Worcester
Area
 • Total 1,579 sq mi (4,090 km2)
 • Land 1,511 sq mi (3,910 km2)
 • Water 68 sq mi (180 km2)  4.3%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 862,111
 • Density 570.7/sq mi (220.3/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Wachusett Mountain in winter.gk
Mount Wachusett, the highest point in Worcester County

Worcester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 862,111, making it the second-most populous county in Massachusetts while also being the largest in area. The largest city and traditional shire town is the city of Worcester.

Worcester County is included in the Worcester, MA-CT Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT 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 Western Massachusetts on one side from Eastern Massachusetts and the Greater Boston area on the other side. 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; 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 area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 56,764 —
1800 61,192 7.8%
1810 64,910 6.1%
1820 73,625 13.4%
1830 84,355 14.6%
1840 95,313 13.0%
1850 130,789 37.2%
1860 159,659 22.1%
1870 192,716 20.7%
1880 226,897 17.7%
1890 280,787 23.8%
1900 346,958 23.6%
1910 399,657 15.2%
1920 455,135 13.9%
1930 491,242 7.9%
1940 504,470 2.7%
1950 546,401 8.3%
1960 583,228 6.7%
1970 637,969 9.4%
1980 646,352 1.3%
1990 709,705 9.8%
2000 750,963 5.8%
2010 798,552 6.3%
2020 862,111 8.0%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010 2020

In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.

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.

Demographic breakdown by town

Income

See also: List of Massachusetts locations by per capita 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.

Rank Town Per capita
income		 Median
household
income		 Median
family
income		 Population Number of
households
1 Southborough Town $57,436 $142,520 $161,419 9,671 3,285
2 Bolton Town $52,282 $137,120 $149,120 4,827 1,583
3 Boylston Town $52,129 $91,734 $110,321 4,320 1,676
Cordaville CDP $51,707 $151,836 $175,217 2,558 845
4 Harvard Town $50,971 $142,411 $161,250 6,483 1,822
5 Northborough Town $47,953 $104,420 $122,592 14,180 5,114
6 Westborough Town $46,631 $99,394 $127,052 18,285 6,720
7 Sterling Town $44,089 $102,270 $117,240 7,768 2,811
8 Princeton Town $43,836 $108,319 $123,864 3,412 1,253
9 Sutton Town $43,275 $107,500 $116,288 8,908 3,128
10 Upton Town $43,252 $110,083 $132,703 7,364 2,588
11 Berlin Town $41,503 $94,712 $99,375 2,819 1,029
Sturbridge CDP $41,479 $77,692 $93,167 2,027 860
Westborough CDP $40,901 $71,731 $87,375 3,883 1,590
12 Mendon Town $40,523 $93,245 $108,173 5,787 2,055
13 Hopedale Town $40,422 $98,220 $104,398 5,909 2,275
Barre CDP $39,556 $77,602 $102,650 1,053 418
14 Grafton Town $39,479 $89,950 $109,729 17,472 6,376
Northborough CDP $39,266 $89,033 $108,636 6,226 2,381
Hopedale CDP $38,687 $88,974 $101,280 3,947 1,590
15 Holden Town $38,639 $89,660 $104,928 17,197 6,296
16 Shrewsbury Town $38,223 $88,985 $104,035 35,269 13,095
17 Sturbridge Town $37,480 $79,044 $98,693 9,133 3,655
18 Paxton Town $37,328 $105,072 $106,625 4,767 1,591
Upton CDP $37,247 $92,676 $120,962 2,867 1,099
19 Douglas Town $35,931 $81,000 $97,383 8,342 3,206
20 Lunenburg Town $35,868 $83,265 $95,000 10,034 3,728
Massachusetts State $35,051 $65,981 $83,371 6,512,227 2,522,409
Lunenburg CDP $34,770 $73,750 $79,750 1,217 470
21 Lancaster Town $34,374 $87,962 $101,196 7,896 2,426
22 Uxbridge Town $34,346 $86,912 $94,830 13,233 4,931
23 Barre Town $33,647 $73,687 $93,250 5,383 2,065
24 Millbury Town $33,467 $77,883 $86,855 13,250 5,166
25 Auburn Town $33,447 $73,559 $87,958 16,183 6,318
26 Charlton Town $33,250 $91,653 $98,789 12,827 4,306
27 Blackstone Town $32,988 $73,586 $87,752 9,028 3,472
South Lancaster CDP $32,942 $70,625 $81,167 1,988 766
28 Ashburnham Town $32,880 $81,842 $98,056 6,033 2,184
29 Hubbardston Town $32,618 $83,333 $95,203 4,341 1,538
30 New Braintree Town $32,568 $88,571 $93,458 1,124 380
31 Milford Town $32,219 $64,860 $80,127 27,925 10,493
32 Royalston Town $32,031 $59,609 $73,125 1,058 455
33 Hardwick Town $31,974 $61,298 $72,458 2,953 1,153
Worcester County County $31,470 $65,772 $81,342 794,981 299,089
34 Westminster Town $31,391 $78,632 $82,596 7,250 2,611
East Brookfield CDP $31,316 $66,339 $84,550 1,270 479
35 Oakham Town $31,237 $79,700 $83,676 1,822 680
36 Rutland Town $30,961 $83,734 $101,486 7,812 2,558
37 Northbridge Town $30,945 $68,981 $87,359 15,475 5,538
Milford CDP $30,678 $60,840 $72,927 25,194 9,494
38 Clinton Town $30,563 $61,796 $77,964 13,614 5,672
39 Leicester Town $30,301 $72,471 $80,288 10,934 3,858
Fiskdale CDP $30,230 $75,655 $89,595 2,907 1,133
40 Oxford Town $30,149 $68,567 $83,161 13,702 5,343
41 North Brookfield Town $30,106 $64,009 $76,690 4,686 1,931
42 West Brookfield Town $29,782 $62,685 $84,868 3,730 1,488
East Douglas CDP $29,760 $73,372 $74,828 2,835 1,146
43 Spencer Town $29,687 $59,420 $77,384 11,715 4,686
44 East Brookfield Town $29,416 $62,350 $82,750 2,058 737
45 Brookfield Town $29,392 $62,390 $77,993 3,363 1,353
46 Millville Town $29,049 $73,426 $84,000 3,154 1,060
West Brookfield CDP $28,704 $56,625 $95,556 1,853 705
47 West Boylston Town $28,547 $73,600 $89,681 7,660 2,308
48 Leominster City $28,445 $58,585 $73,704 40,884 16,095
49 Phillipston Town $28,273 $74,043 $75,234 1,894 648
North Brookfield CDP $28,163 $50,346 $64,181 2,035 912
50 Warren Town $28,112 $51,188 $69,873 5,106 2,067
Oxford CDP $27,990 $67,054 $79,832 6,566 2,418
United States Country $27,915 $52,762 $64,293 306,603,772 114,761,359
South Ashburnham CDP $27,758 $76,932 $77,386 1,104 345
51 Petersham Town $27,475 $65,781 $81,250 1,263 445
52 Webster Town $27,430 $49,621 $65,204 16,752 7,344
53 Dudley Town $27,319 $72,500 $78,920 11,276 3,780
Whitinsville CDP $27,135 $58,846 $62,314 6,894 2,424
Spencer CDP $27,059 $47,183 $66,932 5,392 2,417
54 Templeton Town $26,891 $70,116 $75,753 7,896 2,846
Baldwinville CDP $26,585 $66,700 $77,061 2,061 750
Clinton CDP $26,256 $54,514 $72,859 7,492 3,032
Rutland CDP $25,987 $62,500 $78,929 2,352 758
55 Winchendon Town $25,845 $58,137 $73,162 10,250 3,743
Warren CDP $25,245 $41,200 $71,722 1,408 564
56 Gardner City $24,974 $48,108 $63,413 20,323 8,037
57 Worcester City $24,544 $45,846 $55,927 180,519 70,248
58 Athol Town $24,384 $50,866 $59,095 11,576 4,551
Webster CDP $24,109 $43,702 $53,145 11,682 5,195
59 Fitchburg City $24,061 $48,064 $55,293 40,286 14,741
60 Southbridge City $21,923 $43,965 $52,577 16,800 6,548
Winchendon CDP $21,914 $36,711 $52,868 3,860 1,638
Athol CDP $21,553 $47,330 $52,139 7,867 3,150
Devens CDP $13,933 $72,986 $73,194 1,704 113

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost town

Notable people

  • Louisa May Alcott, novelist, daughter of Amos Alcott
  • Johnny Appleseed, real name Jonathan Chapman
  • Mike Barnicle, newspaper writer
  • Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross
  • Michael Beasley, NBA player, high school All-American; attended Notre Dame Preparatory School
  • Robert Benchley, writer, theater critic, actor, humorist, and member of the Algonquin Round Table
  • H. Jon Benjamin, actor and comedian
  • Ezra T. Benson, Mormon pioneer, missionary, Quorum of Twelve, and Utah territorial legislator
  • Ken Bouchard and Ron Bouchard, NASCAR drivers
  • Luther Burbank, horticulturalist; developed russet potato used in French fries by McDonald's
  • William Cullen Bryant, poet, journalist and editor of the New York Evening Post
  • Effingham Capron, woolen and cotton mill scion who liberated slaves from the 1830s; led local, state and US anti slavery societies
  • George M. Cohan, entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, director
  • Robert Cormier, novelist and columnist
  • Ron Darling, professional baseball pitcher, World Series player; local St. Johns High School star from Millbury, born in Honolulu
  • Dorothea Dix, social reformer; activist
  • Ralph Earl, famous portrait painter, artist of early America
  • Fannie Farmer, cookbook author
  • Abby Kelley Foster, radical abolitionist, women's suffrage
  • Robert H. Goddard, father of American rocketry
  • Ryan Gomes, NBA player; attended Notre Dame Preparatory School
  • Gabby Hartnett, greatest baseball catcher before Johnny Bench
  • Abbie Hoffman, activist
  • Elias Howe, invented the sewing machine
  • Elliott P. Joslin, pioneer diabetes researcher and clinician; founded Joslin Clinic
  • Walker Lewis, black abolitionist, Masonic Grand Master of African Grand Lodge #1, Mormon elder
  • Connie Mack, baseball great and long-time baseball manager
  • Nora Marlowe, character actress; best known for role on The Waltons
  • Agnes Moorehead, actress
  • William T. G. Morton, contributor to modern anaesthesia
  • Francis Patrick O'Connor, associate justice on Massachusetts Supreme Court
  • Frank O'Hara, avant-garde poet and playwright
  • Jeannine Oppewall, Hollywood producer, film art, four Academy Award nominations including Bridges of Madison County
  • Joe Perry, songwriter and guitarist with Aerosmith; he was from Hopedale, and played his first gig at Mendon
  • Amos Singletary, Anti-Federalist mill operator, justice for the peace, and state representative
  • Brian Skerry, underwater photographer for National Geographic
  • Steve Spagnuolo, former head coach of the St. Louis Rams, currently the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants
  • Lysander Spooner, pamphleteer, lawyer, abolitionist and political theorist
  • Lucy Stone, famous suffragist, women's rights advocate, abolitionist, public speaker, first woman college grad in Massachusetts; first woman to retain her own name after marriage
  • Lydia Chapin Taft, America's first woman voter; first colonial woman who voted legally in America
  • Earl Tupper, a New Hampshire native, who pioneered Tupperware in Farnumsville, South Grafton, in the 1940s
  • Hiram Walker, distillery founder
  • Artemas Ward, major general of the American Revolution; the first Supreme Allied Commander of the Continental Army
  • Daniel B. Wesson, co-founder of Smith & Wesson, a major firearm manufacturer
  • Eli Whitney, invented the cotton gin
  • Scott Young, NHL professional hockey player, two-time Stanley Cup champion, United States Olympian; attended St. Mark's and Boston University
  • Geoffrey Zakarian, Iron Chef and restaurateur
  • Rich Gedman, Catcher for Boston Red sox, Born Worcester, Ma

See also

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