What salary do you need to live in Worcester, MA?
For a single person: about $85,500/year before taxes to live comfortably. That's the gross income whose MA-taxed take-home covers roughly $2,166 rent plus everyday essentials, with a 20% cushion for savings. Figures include 2025 federal tax, FICA, and an effective 4.7% Massachusetts income tax.
What jobs here actually pay: the typical Worcester worker earns about $57,830/year (BLS OEWS, all occupations) — below the $69,000 a single person needs to cover local essentials, so a median local job alone runs 16% short.
Single person — est. essentials $4,478/mo
Tight
take-home covers $4,478/mo
$69,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $5,374/mo
$85,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $6,717/mo
$110,000/yr
2-person household — est. essentials $6,106/mo
Tight
take-home covers $6,106/mo
$91,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $7,327/mo
$110,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $9,159/mo
$141,500/yr
3-person household — est. essentials $7,711/mo
Tight
take-home covers $7,711/mo
$116,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $9,253/mo
$143,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $11,567/mo
$185,500/yr
4-person household — est. essentials $8,787/mo
Tight
take-home covers $8,787/mo
$134,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $10,544/mo
$167,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $13,181/mo
$215,000/yr
How we calculate this
Essentials = typical rent ($2,166) + a national non-housing baseline by household size ($2,450 for one person) + Massachusetts's combined sales tax on the taxable share of that spending. We then solve for the gross salary whose after-tax take-home hits each tier, including municipal income tax where the city levies one. These assume adults sharing a home. A household with young children also pays childcare, which in most cities is the largest line after rent — run a search with your own household to price it. Property taxes aren't modeled — see the methodology.
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