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10 Worcester Business Journal | December 15, 2025 | wbjournal.com A rural mirgration Diverse communities are being priced out of Worcester, making it harder for healthcare provid- ers and nonprofits to reach them BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer W orcester, a city that was once considered affordable – even cheap for some – is becoming more and more costly to live in. A 2024 report by Forbes Advisor ranked Worcester as the third-most competitive rental market in the nation. In August, the median price for a single family home was $435,000, represent- ing a 3.6% increase from August 2024, according to e Warren Group. As what happens whenever the cost of living rises in an area, there are those le with no choice other than to relocate out of Worcester. And while there isn't readily apparent data documenting those leaving Worcester like there is for Boston, advocates emphasize the trend is growing. "Particularly in some of the rural communities outside of Worcester, there's been sort of a mass exodus of seeing more diverse folks in the rural communities in the last three years," said Moses Dixon, president and CEO of the Worcester nonprofit Senior Connection. Not only are these diverse populations moving away from their old residences, they're moving away from their healthcare providers. e lack of a robust regional transit system combined with systemic barriers marginalized communities face, more former Worcester residents are struggling to gain access to both primary and specialty care from their new rural homes. e migration has le healthcare providers and social service nonprofits with the challenge of finding new ways to bring people to the necessary services, or bring the services to them. Transportation needs At 49%, almost half of Worcester Regional Transit Authority riders use the bus to go to healthcare appointments, more than the 47% using the bus to get to work and the 13% using it for school, according to a MassINC study surveying 500 riders from 16 WRTA-serviced cities and towns. In total, the WRTA services 37 communities in Central Massachu- setts, 19 of which are designated as rural by the Massachu- setts State Office of Rural Health, such as Barre, Clinton, and New Braintree. "It's been a lifeline for people," said Asa Reyes, an organizer with the Zero Fare Coalition in Worcester. Additionally, Worcester County is a Health Professional Shortage Area, a federal designation for areas in which there are 3,500 or more patients for every primary care provider, according to the Cicero Institute, an Austin-based public policy organization. "Access to reliable, affordable public transportation is really considered and viewed as essential to community mem- bers for accessing primary care appoint- ments, even getting to like urgent care at times, really any kind of form of medical care for our health equity populations," said Tempe Staples, research and eval- uation coordinator for Coalition for a Healthy Greater Worcester, which works with Zero Fare. rough community listening ses- sions, Zero Fare has consistently received feedback that accessing the WRTA is the make-or-break component for wheth- er riders will make it to their doctor's appointment, she said. Healthcare providers have shared with Zero Fare that many patients who routinely struggle to make their appoint- ments are then labeled as non-compliant and are subsequently slapped with no show or late fees over and over again. Individuals who are most impacted by these labels and fees are those who dis- proportionately rely fully on the WRTA, said Staples, and those community members are typ- ically non-white, English isn't their first language, and they're living well below the federal poverty line. Additionally, many WRTA riders are mem- bers of new arrival communities, said Anne Bureau, program director in the Seven Hills Foundation's Community Connections Coalition program, who works with Zero Fare. e bus has proven invaluable for new arrivals, Bureau said, as many don't have access to a driver's license or the funds for a car. While WRTA has been fare-free for nearly five years, the Zero Fare coalition continues to recognize other aspects of the system to make it more accessible, including more stops for rural commu- nities. "ere's a never ending need to consistently improve," said Bureau. "Not just bare minimum access to the bus, but Asa Reyes, an organizer with the Zero Fare Coalition Moses Dixon, president and CEO of Senior Connection Anne Bureau, program director in the Seven Hills Foundation's Community Connections Coalition program IMAGE | ADOBESTOCK.COM