Demographics And Diversity
Foreign-Born Population
Using the charts: Items in the legend below the chart can be clicked on and off to aid in analysis. The chart can also be printed or exported as an image or document using the menu at the top right of the chart. Visit Using the Site for more information.





Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Click on arrows to view legend and click on a point on map to view data. Zoom in or out (+/- sign) to view localities.

What does this measure?

The percentage of the population in a region that is foreign-born, which includes anyone who is not a U.S. citizen at birth. People who become U.S. citizens through naturalization are considered foreign-born.

Why is this important?

Foreign-born Americans and their descendants have historically been a main driver of population growth, and that role will only increase in the future. According to the Pew Research Center, new immigrants and their children and grandchildren accounted for 55% of the U.S. population increase from 193 million in 1965 to 324 million in 2015. Pew projects the population will grow to 441 million in 2065 and that 88% of the increase is linked to future immigrants and their descendants. This measure is also a reflection of the composition of a community, which can offer insight into its levels of diversity.

How is our county performing?

In 2018-22, 13% of the population in Worcester County and 18% of the state was foreign-born, close to the national rate of 14%. Worcester County had a small increase since 2008-2012, increasing two percentage points, while the state and nation increased by three points and one point, respectively.

Among local areas with reliable data in Worcester County, Westborough (29%), Milford (26%), Shrewsbury (25%), Worcester (23%) and Southborough (21%) had the largest proportions of foreign-born residents. Milford and Southborough also had the two greatest increases since 2008-12 of eight percentage points each.

Notes about the data

The multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. However, because the information came from a survey, the samples responding to the survey were not always large enough to produce reliable results, especially in small geographic areas. CGR has noted on data tables the estimates with relatively large margins of error. Estimates with three asterisks have the largest margins, plus or minus 50% or more of the estimate. Two asterisks mean plus or minus 35%-50%, and one asterisk means plus or minus 20%-35%. For all estimates, the confidence level is 90%, meaning there is 90% probability the true value (if the whole population were surveyed) would be within the margin of error (or confidence interval). The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are released annually in December.

Foreign-Born Population
2008-122013-172018-22
Worcester County11%12%13%
Athol3%***4%***4%***
Clinton11%*12%*15%*
Fitchburg11%11%10%
Gardner9%*6%*9%*
Northbridge5%*4%*5%**
Southbridge7%*5%*4%**
Spencer2%***4%***4%***
Webster7%*10%*9%*
Westborough22%26%29%
Worcester21%21%23%
Massachusetts15%16%18%
Additional Worcester County localities
Ashburnham1%***2%***3%***
Auburn6%*6%*7%*
Barre2%***3%***2%**
Berlin6%**8%**7%**
Blackstone4%**4%**6%**
Bolton7%**7%**12%*
Boylston8%**7%**7%*
Brookfield1%***6%**2%***
Charlton3%*5%*3%**
Douglas2%***3%***3%**
Dudley8%*7%*9%**
East Brookfield1%***3%***5%***
Grafton10%12%10%*
Hardwick2%***3%**4%***
Harvard9%*9%*11%*
Holden7%*7%*9%*
Hopedale5%**4%***3%***
Hubbardston4%***3%***5%***
Lancaster6%*6%**7%**
Leicester7%**5%**5%*
Lunenburg6%*7%*5%**
Mendon5%**4%***10%***
Milford18%15%26%
Millbury4%*6%**10%**
Millville3%***4%**6%***
New Braintree1%***2%***8%***
Northborough12%*13%16%
North Brookfield2%***2%**1%***
Oakham2%**3%**2%***
Oxford2%**5%**5%**
Paxton7%**12%**9%**
Petersham5%**4%***2%***
Phillipston2%***3%***1%***
Princeton4%***6%***4%**
Royalston4%***2%***1%***
Rutland5%**7%***4%***
Shrewsbury18%23%25%
Southborough13%15%21%
Sterling3%***4%***4%**
Sturbridge5%**6%*5%**
Sutton4%**4%***4%**
Templeton2%***4%***1%***
Upton3%**4%**8%**
Uxbridge3%**5%**7%**
Warren4%***3%***8%***
West Boylston3%**6%*6%*
West Brookfield4%***4%**3%***
Westminster5%**3%***2%***
Winchendon3%**3%**4%**
Leominster14%14%15%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%.




Number of Foreign-Born People
2008-122013-172018-22
Worcester County88,92096,216115,125
Athol301***451***476***
Clinton1,522*1,705*2,290*
Fitchburg4,4854,6394,252
Gardner1,741*1,232*1,821*
Northbridge741*731*866**
Southbridge1,218*840*755**
Spencer280***463***459***
Webster1,251*1,721*1,590*
Westborough3,9674,8816,235
Worcester37,49838,93247,668
Massachusetts971,4651,097,2291,227,846
Additional Worcester County localities
Ashburnham88***126***185***
Auburn988*1,065*1,131*
Barre128***151***119**
Berlin181**247**262**
Blackstone358**373**533**
Bolton337**346**661*
Boylston334**308**333*
Brookfield26***214**64***
Charlton434*657*424**
Douglas154***251***232**
Dudley890*845*1,036**
East Brookfield21***66***100***
Grafton1,7402,1311,950*
Hardwick60***93**98***
Harvard597*611*747*
Holden1,193*1,332*1,710*
Hopedale294**253***166***
Hubbardston153***142***216***
Lancaster480*446**570**
Leicester807**574**520*
Lunenburg642*751*557**
Mendon315**227***640***
Milford5,1744,4177,822
Millbury485*855**1,334**
Millville95***114**196***
New Braintree11***25***79***
Northborough1,757*1,9112,432
North Brookfield96***112**71***
Oakham42**56**35***
Oxford338**734**709**
Paxton347**559**471**
Petersham58**44***28***
Phillipston31***44***11***
Princeton143***198***127**
Royalston39***28***17***
Rutland410**564***340***
Shrewsbury6,4868,6089,767
Southborough1,2971,5512,156
Sterling253***305***315**
Sturbridge418**600*506**
Sutton384**394***371**
Templeton196***340***81***
Upton261**330**603**
Uxbridge455**633**987**
Warren228***166***417***
West Boylston236**477*438*
West Brookfield158***168**117***
Westminster329**240***167***
Winchendon361**294**465**
Leominster5,6085,6456,397

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%.







INDICATORS TREND
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Establishments 1
Increasing
Average Charitable Contribution 0
Maintaining
Households With Internet Access 1
Increasing
Protected Land 10 Not Applicable*
Voter Participation Rate -1
Decreasing
Voter Registration Rate 0
Maintaining
Arrest Rate by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Change in Total Population 1
Increasing
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Foreign-Born Population 1
Increasing
Language Diversity 1
Increasing
Population by Age -1
Decreasing
Households by Type 0
Maintaining
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Median Household Income 0
Maintaining
Household Income by Race/Ethnicity 0
Maintaining
80/20 Income Ratio 0
Maintaining
Income in Relation to Poverty Level 0
Maintaining
People Living in Poverty 0
Maintaining
People Living in Poverty, by Education Level 1
Increasing
People Living in Poverty, by Age 1
Increasing
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Homeownership Rates, by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Overall Housing Cost Burden -1
Decreasing
Cost of Rent, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Median Home Value by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Homelessness 10 Not Applicable*
Households Receiving SNAP by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Household Receiving Temporary Assistance 0
Maintaining
Households Without Vehicles 0
Maintaining
Education Levels of Adults by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Change in Employment by Sector 10 Not Applicable*
Change in Average Salary by Sector 10 Not Applicable*
Female to Male Earnings Ratio 0
Maintaining
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Employer Size 1
Increasing
Business Ownership, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Self-Employment Revenue 0
Maintaining
People Entering/Leaving County for Work 1
Increasing
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Preterm Births 10 Not Applicable*
Infant Mortality by Mother's Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels -1
Decreasing
Prevalence of Children with Asthma 1
Increasing
People with Disabilities 1
Increasing
People Without Health Insurance -1
Decreasing
Cancer Incidence 0
Maintaining
Diabetes Incidence -1
Decreasing
Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions 1
Increasing
Opioid Overdose Mortality Rate 1
Increasing
Children Living in Poverty 0
Maintaining
Children Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Economically Disadvantaged Students 1
Increasing
Disengaged Youth -1
Decreasing
Prekindergarten Participation -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 3 English, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 10 English, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
High School Cohort Graduation Rate, by Student Group 1
Increasing
Arrest Rate by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Household Income by Race/Ethnicity 0
Maintaining
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Homeownership Rates, by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Cost of Rent, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Median Home Value by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Households Receiving SNAP by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Education Levels of Adults by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Business Ownership, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Infant Mortality by Mother's Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Children Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 3 English, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 10 English, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
High School Cohort Graduation Rate, by Student Group 1
Increasing





Loading...