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8 Worcester Business Journal | November 3, 2025 | wbjournal.com ECONOMIC FORECAST 2023 Community Town 1990 2000 2010 2020 2024 Acton 17,872 20,331 21,924 24,021 24,539 Ashburnham 5,433 5,546 6,081 6,315 6,522 Ashby 2,717 2,845 3,074 3,193 3,270 Ashland 12,066 14,674 16,593 18,832 19,391 Athol 11,451 11,299 11,584 11,945 12,105 Auburn 15,005 15,901 16,188 16,889 17,323 Ayer 6,871 7,287 7,427 8,479 9,010 Barre 4,546 5,113 5,398 5,530 5,631 Bellingham 14,877 15,314 16,332 16,945 17,998 Berlin 2,293 2,380 2,866 3,158 3,479 Blackstone 8,023 8,804 9,026 9,208 9,374 Bolton 3,134 4,148 4,897 5,665 5,809 Boxborough 3,343 4,868 4,996 5,506 5,565 Boylston 3,517 4,008 4,355 4,849 5,064 Brookfield 2,968 3,051 3,390 3,439 3,500 Charlton 9,576 11,263 12,981 13,315 13,606 Clinton 13,222 13,435 13,606 15,428 15,740 Douglas 5,438 7,045 8,471 8,983 9,452 Dudley 9,540 10,036 11,390 11,921 11,984 East Brookfield 2,033 2,097 2,183 2,224 2,237 Fitchburg 41,194 39,102 40,318 41,946 42,145 Framingham 64,989 66,910 68,318 72,362 73,361 Franklin 22,095 29,560 31,635 33,261 33,742 Gardner 20,125 20,770 20,228 21,287 21,381 Grafton 13,035 14,894 17,765 19,664 20,352 Groton 7,511 9,547 10,646 11,315 11,580 Hardwick 2,385 2,622 2,990 2,667 2,722 Harvard 12,329 5,981 6,520 6,851 7,004 Holden 14,628 15,621 17,346 19,905 20,326 Holliston 12,926 13,801 13,547 14,996 15,347 Hopedale 5,666 5,907 5,911 6,017 6,063 Hopkinton 9,191 13,346 14,925 18,758 19,971 Hubbardston 2,797 3,909 4,382 4,328 4,433 Hudson 17,233 18,113 19,063 20,092 20,364 Lancaster 6,661 7,380 8,055 8,441 8,993 Leicester 10,191 10,471 10,970 11,087 11,224 Leominster 38,145 41,303 40,759 43,782 44,209 Littleton 7,051 8,184 8,924 10,141 10,495 Lunenburg 9,117 9,401 10,086 11,782 12,007 Marlborough 31,813 36,255 38,499 41,793 42,169 Maynard 10,325 10,433 10,106 10,746 10,820 Medway 9,931 12,448 12,752 13,115 13,836 Mendon 4,010 5,286 5,839 6,228 6,441 Milford 25,355 26,799 27,999 30,379 30,640 Millbury 12,228 12,784 13,261 13,831 14,173 Millis 7,613 7,902 7,891 8,460 9,338 Town 1990 2000 2010 2020 2024 Millville 2,236 2,724 3,190 3,174 3,187 Natick 30,510 32,170 33,006 37,006 37,316 New Braintree 881 927 999 996 1,010 North Brookfield 4,708 4,683 4,680 4,735 4,797 Northborough 11,929 14,013 14,155 15,741 15,867 Northbridge 13,371 13,182 15,707 16,335 16,719 Oakham 1,503 1,673 1,902 1,851 1,914 Oxford 12,588 13,352 13,709 13,347 13,503 Paxton 4,047 4,386 4,806 5,004 5,043 Pepperell 10,098 11,142 11,497 11,604 11,877 Petersham 1,131 1,180 1,234 1,194 1,246 Phillipston 1,485 1,621 1,682 1,726 1,759 Princeton 3,189 3,353 3,413 3,495 3,597 Royalston 1,147 1,254 1,258 1,250 1,291 Rutland 4,936 6,353 7,973 9,049 9,637 Sherborn 3,989 4,200 4,119 4,401 4,485 Shirley 6,118 6,373 7,211 7,431 7,042 Shrewsbury 24,146 31,640 35,608 38,325 39,620 Southborough 6,628 8,781 9,767 10,450 10,569 Southbridge 17,816 17,214 16,719 17,740 18,106 Southwick 7,667 8,835 9,502 9,232 9,277 Spencer 11,645 11,691 11,688 11,992 12,090 Sterling 6,481 7,257 7,808 7,985 8,310 Stow 5,328 5,902 6,590 7,174 7,335 Sturbridge 7,775 7,837 9,268 9,867 10,097 Sudbury 14,358 16,841 17,659 18,934 19,805 Sutton 6,824 8,250 8,963 9,357 9,599 Templeton 6,438 6,799 8,013 8,149 8,387 Townsend 8,496 9,198 8,926 9,127 9,220 Upton 4,677 5,642 7,542 8,000 8,475 Uxbridge 10,415 11,156 13,457 14,162 14,703 Warren 4,437 4,776 5,135 4,975 5,086 Wayland 11,874 13,100 12,994 13,943 14,054 Webster 16,196 16,415 16,767 17,776 17,817 West Boylston 6,611 7,481 7,669 7,877 7,938 West Brookfield 3,532 3,804 3,701 3,833 3,917 Westborough 14,133 17,997 18,272 21,567 22,643 Westminster 6,191 6,907 7,277 8,213 8,509 Winchendon 8,805 9,611 10,300 10,364 10,587 Worcester 169,759 172,648 181,045 206,518 211,286 Total 1,066,567 1,150,542 1,216,708 1,312,978 1,342,455 Central Mass. population grew 26% from 1990 to 2024 Source: U.S.Census Bureau, Decennial Census 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020 and Annual Estimates 2024