Worcester County Posts 0.6% Job Decline as Massachusetts Employment Falls 0.9%
Updated
Updated · wbjournal.com · Sep 8
Worcester County Posts 0.6% Job Decline as Massachusetts Employment Falls 0.9%
1 articles · Updated · wbjournal.com · Sep 8
Summary
Worcester County lost 0.6% of its jobs from March 2025 to March 2026, the second-smallest decline among Massachusetts’ nine largest counties, behind Norfolk’s 0.4% drop.
All nine large counties posted employment declines over the year, with Middlesex down 1.9%; statewide employment fell 0.9% even as U.S. employment edged up 0.1%.
350,633 workers remained employed in Worcester County, while Middlesex still had the largest workforce at 880,700 despite its sharper decline.
Wages kept rising across the state: Worcester’s average weekly pay increased 1.8% to $1,506, below the U.S. average of $1,654, while Massachusetts wages rose 4.8% to $2,201.
Suffolk led county wage growth at 7.5% and posted the highest weekly wage at $3,340, underscoring a statewide pattern of softer employment but stronger pay.