881,248 people (2024 Census estimate, +2.8% since 2020)
1,511 square miles of land · 583 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
110 active community water systems list Worcester County in the area they serve, reporting 733,447 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| WORCESTER DPWP, WATER SUPPLY DIVISION surface water · local government · MA2348000 | 206,518 served |
| FITCHBURG DPW DIVISION OF WATER SUPPLY surface water · local government · MA2097000 | 41,946 served |
| LEOMINSTER WATER DIVISION surface water · local government · MA2153000 | 41,683 served |
| SHREWSBURY WATER DEPARTMENT groundwater · local government · MA2271000 | 38,325 served |
| MILFORD WATER DEPARTMENT surface water · local government · MA2185000 | 30,379 served |
| WESTBOROUGH WATER DEPARTMENT surface water · local government · MA2328000 | 21,567 served |
| GARDNER WATER DEPARTMENT surface water · local government · MA2103000 | 21,381 served |
| SOUTHBRIDGE WATER DEPARTMENT surface water · local government · MA2278000 | 19,562 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 693 people were held in Worcester County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2025). In 2020 it was about 610.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
50 school districts have their office in Worcester County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $745 million — $588.8 million to run schools, about $23,832 per student, plus $131.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $87.8 million local (mostly property tax), $385.3 million state, $118.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $153.5 million.
Spent $133.2 million — $131.1 million to run schools, about $19,181 per student, plus $42,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $76.9 million local (mostly property tax), $52.1 million state, $8.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $6.9 million.
Spent $116.9 million — $112.1 million to run schools, about $18,445 per student, plus $775,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $33 million local (mostly property tax), $72 million state, $11.5 million federal.
Spent $122.9 million — $116.9 million to run schools, about $19,669 per student, plus $833,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $76.8 million local (mostly property tax), $37.9 million state, $6.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $53.7 million.
Spent $121.1 million — $112.2 million to run schools, about $21,163 per student, plus $1.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $12.5 million local (mostly property tax), $83.6 million state, $12.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $320,000.
Spent $98.5 million — $93.9 million to run schools, about $20,694 per student, plus $84,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $35.1 million local (mostly property tax), $52.4 million state, $8.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $24.2 million.
Spent $92.6 million — $89.1 million to run schools, about $23,070 per student, plus $750,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $66.8 million local (mostly property tax), $25.8 million state, $4 million federal.
Spent $65.6 million — $64.2 million to run schools, about $18,571 per student, plus $314,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $28.1 million local (mostly property tax), $34.4 million state, $4.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $780,000.
And 42 more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Moderate compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Worcester County about $162.8 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very High; social vulnerability: Relatively Low.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
1,020 bridges in Worcester County: 264 in good condition, 678 fair, and 78 poor (7.6%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| I 290 EB over HWY E CENTRAL ST · built 1958 | 65,611 vehicles a day |
| I 290 WB over HWY E CENTRAL ST · built 1958 | 62,637 vehicles a day |
| ST 2 over RR BMRR · built 1951 | 57,765 vehicles a day |
| ST 2 over WATER SAWMILL POND · built 1946 | 55,358 vehicles a day |
| I 495 SB over ST109 MEDWAY RD · built 1968 | 51,812 vehicles a day |
| I 495 SB over RR MBTA/CSX · built 1968 | 51,588 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $492.9 million of work in Worcester County in fiscal 2025, about $572 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
State election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting: 2026-10-17 to 2026-10-30. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-24. Mail ballot request deadline: 2026-10-27. Election Day: 2026-11-03. Last day for mailed ballots to arrive: 2026-11-06.
Source: Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2026 Information for Voters, p. 4 · Cambridge Election Commission, 2026 State Election guide (return deadlines) · Mass. General Laws ch. 54, sec. 93
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Worcester County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Worcester County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Massachusetts: the state government and every county in Massachusetts.
Nearby counties: Middlesex County (30 mi) · Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT (32 mi) · Providence County, RI (36 mi) · Hampshire County (37 mi) · Hampden County (37 mi) · Franklin County (38 mi).