New York vs Worcester
The short version
- Worcester is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 9% lower than in the New York area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $374,400 in Worcester and $777,600 in New York.
- Households earn more in New York ($80,483 vs $70,102 median).
- New York has the warmer winter: January highs of 40°F vs 32°F.
- Worcester gets far more snow: 73 inches a year vs 30.
- Worcester is growing faster: +3.6% since 2020 vs -2.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Worcester (24 vs 40 minutes each way).
Side by side
| New York, NY | Worcester, MA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 8,584,629 | 213,862 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.5% | +3.6% |
| People per square mile | 28,572 | 5,724 |
| Median age | 38.2 | 33.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 42% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $80,483 | $70,102 |
| Median home value | $777,600 | $374,400 |
| Home value to income | 9.7× | 5.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,821 | $1,487 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 112.6 | 102.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.6 | 113.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $84,400 | $76,900 |
| Homeowners | 33% | 43% |
| Top state income tax | 10.9% | 9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.54% | 6.25% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 40.3 | 24.1 |
| Work from home | 17% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 44% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8% | 6.5% |
| Poverty rate | 17.9% | 19.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 28° | 32° / 17° |
| July high / low | 85° / 70° | 80° / 62° |
| Precipitation per year | 50 in | 48 in |
| Snowfall per year | 30 in | 73 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 17 | 3 |
| Nights below freezing | 67 | 130 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.2 | 93.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 42% | 81% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.7% | +2.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.1% | +43.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: New York: May and September to October. Worcester: May to September.
Full monthly tables: New York weather by month and Worcester weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $84,400 in New York and $76,900 in Worcester. Moving from New York to Worcester, you would need about $68,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between New York and Worcester
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from New York and Worcester.
Which would you pick?
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