What share of adults smoke in Worcester?

An estimated 15.3% of adults in Worcester smoked cigarettes in 2023, joint 172nd highest of 810 US cities of 50,000 or more with an estimate (CDC PLACES model-based estimate for 2023, age-adjusted).

Health in Worcester, Massachusetts: official figures

3.9% of residents of Worcester (8,067 people) had no health insurance in 2020-2024, 109th lowest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 8.4%; Massachusetts: 2.6%).

Residents without health insurance

3.9%

2020-2024

Adults with obesity (age-adjusted)

36.5%

2023

How many children in Worcester are uninsured?

In Worcester, 2.4% of children under 19 and 5.1% of adults aged 19 to 64 were uninsured in 2020-2024, against 0.6% of those 65 and over (US: 5.5%, 11.7% and 0.8%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Worcester are on Medicaid?

30.7% of residents of Worcester under 65 had Medicaid or other means-tested public coverage as their only health insurance in 2020-2024, 104th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 18.1%; Massachusetts: 18.9%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Worcester have a disability?

15.5% of residents of Worcester (31,683 people) reported a disability in 2020-2024, 154th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 13.3%; Massachusetts: 12.3%); 7.5% had two or more types of disability.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many older people in Worcester have a disability?

By age, 38.4% of residents of Worcester aged 65 and over, 14.0% of those aged 18 to 64 and 5.6% of children under 18 reported a disability in 2020-2024 (US: 32.9%, 10.9% and 4.9%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

What is the obesity rate in Worcester, Massachusetts?

An estimated 36.5% of adults in Worcester had obesity in 2023, joint 241st highest of 810 US cities of 50,000 or more with an estimate (CDC PLACES model-based estimate for 2023, age-adjusted).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

How common is diabetes in Worcester?

An estimated 11.7% of adults in Worcester had been told by a doctor that they have diabetes, joint 280th highest of 810 US cities of 50,000 or more with an estimate (CDC PLACES model-based estimate for 2023, age-adjusted).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

How is mental health in Worcester?

An estimated 19.6% of adults in Worcester reported poor mental health on 14 or more of the past 30 days, joint 98th highest of 810 US cities of 50,000 or more with an estimate, and 25.9% had ever been told they have depression (CDC PLACES model-based estimate for 2023, age-adjusted).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

How many adults in Worcester have high blood pressure?

In Worcester, an estimated 33.4% of adults had high blood pressure and 29.6% did no physical activity outside work, joint 173rd highest of 810 US cities of 50,000 or more with an estimate for physical inactivity (CDC PLACES model-based estimate for 2023, age-adjusted).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

How many adults in Worcester see a doctor for a check-up?

An estimated 80.0% of adults in Worcester had a routine check-up with a doctor in the past year, joint 42nd highest of 810 US cities of 50,000 or more with an estimate (CDC PLACES model-based estimate for 2023, age-adjusted).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

How Worcester compares with other cities in the United States

Residents without health insurance (2020-2024)

Worcester ranks 715 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents without health insurance
712	Irvine	4.0%
713	Carlsbad	4.0%
714	Burbank	4.0%
715	Worcester	3.9%
716	Rochester	3.9%
717	O'Fallon	3.9%
718	Laguna Niguel	3.9%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Residents with a disability (2020-2024)

Worcester ranks 154 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents with a disability
151	Albany	15.5%
152	Jeffersonville	15.5%
153	Lake Charles	15.5%
154	Worcester	15.5%
155	Haverhill	15.5%
156	San Marcos	15.5%
157	Eugene	15.4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Adults with obesity (age-adjusted model estimate) (2023)

Worcester ranks 242 of 810, highest first.

Rank	City	Adults with obesity (age-adjusted model estimate)
239	Meriden	36.6%
240	Galveston	36.6%
241	Virginia Beach	36.5%
242	Worcester	36.5%
243	Palm Bay	36.5%
244	Abilene	36.5%
245	New Bedford	36.5%

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

Adults with diagnosed diabetes (age-adjusted model estimate) (2023)

Worcester ranks 280 of 810, highest first.

Rank	City	Adults with diagnosed diabetes (age-adjusted model estimate)
277	Margate	11.8%
278	Gallatin	11.8%
279	Stillwater	11.8%
280	Worcester	11.7%
281	Des Moines	11.7%
282	Tallahassee	11.7%
283	Midland	11.7%

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

Adults who smoke cigarettes (age-adjusted model estimate) (2023)

Worcester ranks 172 of 810, highest first.

Rank	City	Adults who smoke cigarettes (age-adjusted model estimate)
169	Lake Havasu City	15.4%
170	Casper	15.4%
171	Pinellas Park	15.4%
172	Worcester	15.3%
173	Lakeland	15.3%
174	Hesperia	15.3%
175	Fort Myers	15.3%

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

Adults with 14+ poor mental health days a month (age-adjusted model estimate) (2023)

Worcester ranks 98 of 810, highest first.

Rank	City	Adults with 14+ poor mental health days a month (age-adjusted model estimate)
95	Dothan	19.7%
96	North Little Rock	19.7%
97	Albany	19.7%
98	Worcester	19.6%
99	Waco	19.6%
100	Warren	19.6%
101	Beaumont	19.6%

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

More on Worcester: overview · economy and jobs · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · all cities in the United States

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table C18108: Age by Number of Disabilities (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 8116247db31952c99ba053e6b0c767675a9674703b6b32e7705f1e4952f3b426), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b8f09efa878c…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B27010: Types of Health Insurance Coverage by Age (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 2ceba99dada3ec1042310e1dc1f00bcc819de765c3143028aa000df025012a69), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3db662ef4cb3…)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: PLACES: Place Data (GIS Friendly Format), 2025 release: model-based age-adjusted prevalence among adults, for every place (data.cdc.gov API, columns used), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b2174bcc660f…)

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