Worcester Is Among Top 30 Most Livable Metro Areas In U.S. For 2026, New Report Says

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester ranked high among the most livable metro areas in the nation for 2026, according to a new report from the apartment search website RentCafe.

Worcester ranked No. 27 among the most livable cities nationwide, thanks to its quality-of-life scores and housing costs, according to the report. RentCafe analyzed 149 U.S. metro areas using metrics across three categories, including socioeconomics, quality of life and location and community.

In the quality-of-life category, Worcester ranked highly. The city grabbed the 10th spot nationwide.

RentCafe reported that Worcester has 26 healthcare providers per 10,000 residents, and more than 91 percent of the city's population has access to exercise opportunities. Residents also have ample access to healthy food, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Worcester didn't do as well in the location-and-community category. Worcester ranked No. 86 in that category because 44.5 percent of the city's residents commute more than 30 minutes to work, and 15.3 percent face severe housing problems, according to the report.

In the socioeconomics category, Worcester ranked No. 70 in the U.S. RentCafe said this is because the cost of living in the city is 15 percent above the national average, but there is a seven percent income growth rate, which helps to offset some of the affordability pressure.

Worcester ranked higher than Massachusetts' two other major cities, beating out Boston, which came in at No. 31, and Springfield, which came in at No. 40.

The top five spots in the nation went to:

1. Washington, D.C.
2. Portland, Maine
3. Kansas City, Missouri
4. Des Moines, Iowa
5. Ann Arbor, Michigan

You can find the complete report from RentCafe here.

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