Worcester, MA


Total Population: 935,536

(An increase of 2.02 % in the past 5 years.)

Census Data

  • Foreign Born - 87,015
  • Language Spoken at Home - 130,672

Quick Facts

  • Approximately 20% of the population speaks a language other than English at home.

  • Worcester has one of the more diverse foreign-born populations in the country, with no one ethnic group making up more than thirty percent of the total foreign-born population in the area.

  • Over 34% of public school students are Latino.

  • Over the previous ten years, the Latino population has increased by over thirty percent, and the Asian population by over thirty-one percent.

  • Over two thousand refugees were resettled in the Worcester metro area in the last five years, making it the number one destination for refugees in the state of Massachusetts.


Profile

The ethnic makeup of Worcester has historically been primarily European. Throughout the development of the area there has been a significant European presence with several enclaves and ethnic neighborhoods popping up throughout the city. The European influence on the area can be seen throughout the city, and there is still a rather significant European immigrant presence in the metro area. However, more recently the ethnic composition of the city has begun to shift as immigrants from a variety of other countries have begun to settle in Worcester.

The largest foreign-born ethnic group in the greater Worcester area are the Latinos. There has been a significant increase in the immigrant population from Latino countries over the past several decades, with almost a 50% increase since the year 2000. Leading the charge in this ethnic shift has been immigrants from countries like The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Brazil, which has seen the largest increase in foreign-born population over the last five years.

The second largest foreign-born ethnic group are Asians. The Asian population has also seen significant populations increases over the last decade, with Vietnamese and Chinese being the largest. The city has also recently become the primary destination for refugees in the state. Over the past five years Worcester has resettled over 2,000 refugees, the large majority of which came from African, Near Eastern, and Southeast Asian countries.


People Group Profiles

Displaying 1-25 of 32 results.
PG Name Country Of Birth Affinity Bloc Primary Religion Baseline Population Total
Albanian, ToskAlbaniaEurasian PeoplesIslam - Sunni2,416
Arab, EgyptianEgyptArab WorldIslam283
Arab, IraqiIraqArab WorldIslam - Shia2,623
Arab, Lebanese (Christian)LebanonArab WorldChristianity - Roman Catholic2,513
Arab, Lebanese (Muslim)LebanonArab WorldIslam - Sunni1,411
BrazilianBrazilLatin-Caribbean AmericansChristianity - Other / Marginal7,985
Chinese, MandarinChinaEast Asian PeoplesBuddhism3,897
ColombianColombiaLatin-Caribbean AmericansChristianity - Roman Catholic1,420
DominicanDominican RepublicLatin-Caribbean AmericansChristianity - Other / Marginal4,327
EcuadorianEcuadorLatin-Caribbean AmericansChristianity - Roman Catholic1,117
Filipino, TagalogPhilippinesMalay PeoplesChristianity - Roman Catholic763
FrenchFranceEurasian PeoplesChristianity - Roman Catholic9,498
GermanGermanyEurasian PeoplesChristianity - Orthodox1,242
GhanaianGhanaSub-Saharan AfricanChristianity - Protestant3,900
GreekGreeceEurasian PeoplesChristianity - Orthodox2,284
GujaratiIndiaSouth Asian PeoplesHinduism726
HaitianHaitiLatin-Caribbean AmericansChristianity2,050
HindiIndiaSouth Asian PeoplesHinduism1,786
ItalianItalyEurasian PeoplesChristianity - Roman Catholic3,072
IvorianIvory CoastSub-Saharan AfricanEthnic Religions900
KoreanSouth KoreaEast Asian PeoplesChristianity - Protestant1,010
LaoLaosSoutheast Asian PeoplesBuddhism703
MandaeanIranArab WorldEthnic Religions - Other / Marginal400
NigerianNigeriaSub-Saharan AfricanChristianity - Protestant821
PersianIranPersian-MedianIslam1,037