Quality of life in Worcester County encompasses a wide range of attributes – here, we examine factors including arts and entertainment, environment, civic engagement and public safety.

Arts, entertainment and recreation establishments attract visitors and investment, contributing to the vitality of a region. In 2022, Worcester County had fewer establishments in the Arts, Entertainment and Recreation sector (4.1 per 10,000 residents) than the state as whole (6.2) but the County’s rate has grown since 2000 by 54%.

Today, internet access is a crucial indicator to assess quality of life. In 2018-22, 91% of households in Worcester County had access to the internet, slightly higher than the state rate of 89%.

Voting participation and registration and charitable giving all speak to levels of civic engagement. In Worcester County, voter participation in presidential election years has increased since 2000, while participation in midterm elections remained fairly steady. In 2022, 43% of County voters participated in midterm elections and 66% voted in the 2020 presidential elections, similar to the state in both years.

In 2022, 83% of Worcester County’s voting-age population was registered to vote, slightly below the statewide rate of 88%. County registration rates have fluctuated somewhat over the past decade; the 2022 rate was up from a recent low of 74% in 2015.

In 2021, County residents contributed 0.8% of income (roughly $321 million) to charity, less than the state rate of 1.9% and national rate of 1.7%. The County’s rate has held fairly steady since 2018 when it was 0.7%.

Crime detracts from the quality of life, and the Worcester County 2022 arrest rate of 13 per 1,000 people is approximately half of the 2011 rate of 25 arrests per 1,000. However, racial disparities were apparent with higher rates among African American (31 per 1,000) and Latino (24 per 1,000) residents compared to White (16 per 1,000) and Asian (3 per 1,000) residents.