PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Worcester, MA

42.1
Life Score / 100
C
Grade (curved)
#301
of 387 metros
22%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Worcester ranks #301 of 387 US metros, ahead of 22% - carried by its environment (99/100) and held back most by childcare (0/100).

99
strongest: Environment
93
then: Wages
0
weakest: Childcare
7
weighted dimensions

Where Worcester sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

42 22th percentile higher than 22% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). This entry sits in this band. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Worcester Life Score

Worcester's composite score of 42.1 out of 100, a grade of C, places the metro at rank #301 of 387, ahead of 22% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Environment (99/100) and Wages (93/100), which pull the composite upward, while Childcare (0/100) and Schools (11/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 102.5 (rent-RPP 113.0). BLS median salary $79,342, 337,180 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,749/mo (studio $1,206).

FBI UCR (MA): 309 violent, 1101 property/100K. NCES: 12.3:1 ratio, 4.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $20,571/yr. EPA: 41 Superfund sites (MA). Ranks #298-#304 below.

Dimension detail

How Worcester scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 13/100 (20%)
Wages 93/100 (20%)
Rent 17/100 (15%)
Safety 48/100 (15%)
Schools 11/100 (10%)
Childcare 0/100 (10%)
Environment 99/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

102.5
Cost Index (RPP)
$79,342
Avg Median Salary
$1,749
2BR Fair Market Rent
309
Violent Crime/100K (MA)
12.3:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$20,571
Infant Childcare/yr (MA)
41
Superfund Sites (MA)
337,180
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Worcester With...

Worcester vs Providence Compare → Worcester vs Pittsfield Compare → Worcester vs Springfield Compare → Worcester vs Wildwood Compare → Worcester vs Waterloo Compare → Worcester vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Worcester outranks 22% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#298 Rochester, NY 42.3 C
#299 Odessa, TX 42.4 C
#300 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 42.4 C
#301 Worcester, MA 42.1 C
#302 Abilene, TX 42.1 C
#303 Bangor, ME 41.9 C
#304 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 41.9 C

MA Metro Scores

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA B- 48.6 Pittsfield, MA C 45.0 Springfield, MA C 44.8 Barnstable Town, MA F 33.2 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA F 33.0 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH F 30.0

Using Worcester's Life Score

Worcester is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is environment (99/100) and its weakest is childcare (0/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Worcester head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Worcester lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Worcester's biggest strengths? ▼
Worcester's strongest dimensions are Environment (99/100), Wages (93/100), Safety (48/100). Environment is top-tier nationally.
What are Worcester's weakest areas? ▼
Worcester's lowest-scoring dimensions are Childcare (0/100), Schools (11/100), Cost of Living (13/100). Childcare weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Worcester compared to the national average? ▼
Worcester's Regional Price Parity is 102.5 (2.5% more than national); rent RPP 113.0.
What is the average salary in Worcester? ▼
Worcester median salary: $79,342, 337,180 jobs. Top: Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Worcester's 42.1/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.