This measures the ability of people with different education levels to find work and earn a wage above the poverty line. It also indicates the level of need for social and educational supports.

In 2018-22, 25% of Worcester County residents who did not possess a high school diploma lived below the poverty line, an increase of two percentage points from 2008-12. This was similar to the statewide rate of 24% and national figure of 24%.

During the same period, 12% of County residents who had a high school diploma lived in poverty, compared to 8% who had attended some college or earned an associate's degree, and 4% who had at least a bachelor's degree. The rate of poverty for those with a bachelor's degree was similar to state and national rates, and rates for those with a high school diploma or some college were slightly below both state and national rates.

The City of Worcester, the only locality with statistically reliable data, had a much higher percentage of people without a high school diploma who lived below the poverty line compared to the rest of the County, at 34%.

Poverty status is not reported for people in institutions, including college dormitories and military barracks, and people in living situations without conventional housing.

The multi-year 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 expected to be released annually in December.