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12 Worcester Business Journal | October 19, 2026 | wbjournal.com ECONOMIC FORECAST 2023 Community Town 1990 2000 2010 2020 2025 Acton 17,872 20,331 21,924 24,021 24,786 Ashburnham 5,433 5,546 6,081 6,315 6,554 Ashby 2,717 2,845 3,074 3,193 3,274 Ashland 12,066 14,674 16,593 18,832 19,177 Athol 11,451 11,299 11,584 11,945 12,129 Auburn 15,005 15,901 16,188 16,889 17,566 Ayer 6,871 7,287 7,427 8,479 9,267 Barre 4,546 5,113 5,398 5,530 5,641 Bellingham 14,877 15,314 16,332 16,945 18,032 Berlin 2,293 2,380 2,866 3,158 3,486 Blackstone 8,023 8,804 9,026 9,208 9,416 Bolton 3,134 4,148 4,897 5,665 6,477 Boxborough 3,343 4,868 4,996 5,506 5,508 Boylston 3,517 4,008 4,355 4,849 5,104 Brookfield 2,968 3,051 3,390 3,439 3,516 Charlton 9,576 11,263 12,981 13,315 13,685 Clinton 13,222 13,435 13,606 15,428 15,718 Douglas 5,438 7,045 8,471 8,983 9,545 Dudley 9,540 10,036 11,390 11,921 11,972 East Brookfield 2,033 2,097 2,183 2,224 2,231 Fitchburg 41,194 39,102 40,318 41,946 42,136 Framingham 64,989 66,910 68,318 72,362 73,021 Franklin 22,095 29,560 31,635 33,261 33,955 Gardner 20,125 20,770 20,228 21,287 21,483 Grafton 13,035 14,894 17,765 19,664 21,043 Groton 7,511 9,547 10,646 11,315 11,541 Hardwick 2,385 2,622 2,990 2,667 2,736 Harvard 12,329 5,981 6,520 6,851 7,014 Holden 14,628 15,621 17,346 19,905 20,526 Holliston 12,926 13,801 13,547 14,996 15,206 Hopedale 5,666 5,907 5,911 6,017 6,066 Hopkinton 9,191 13,346 14,925 18,758 19,866 Hubbardston 2,797 3,909 4,382 4,328 4,460 Hudson 17,233 18,113 19,063 20,092 20,341 Lancaster 6,661 7,380 8,055 8,441 9,161 Leicester 10,191 10,471 10,970 11,087 11,428 Leominster 38,145 41,303 40,759 43,782 44,194 Littleton 7,051 8,184 8,924 10,141 10,404 Lunenburg 9,117 9,401 10,086 11,782 12,043 Marlborough 31,813 36,255 38,499 41,793 42,772 Maynard 10,325 10,433 10,106 10,746 10,703 Medway 9,931 12,448 12,752 13,115 13,804 Mendon 4,010 5,286 5,839 6,228 6,479 Town 1990 2000 2010 2020 2025 Milford 25,355 26,799 27,999 30,379 30,832 Millbury 12,228 12,784 13,261 13,831 14,276 Millis 7,613 7,902 7,891 8,460 9,463 Millville 2,236 2,724 3,190 3,174 3,186 Natick 30,510 32,170 33,006 37,006 36,969 New Braintree 881 927 999 996 1,013 North Brookfield 4,708 4,683 4,680 4,735 4,793 Northborough 11,929 14,013 14,155 15,741 16,080 Northbridge 13,371 13,182 15,707 16,335 16,799 Oakham 1,503 1,673 1,902 1,851 1,917 Oxford 12,588 13,352 13,709 13,347 13,514 Paxton 4,047 4,386 4,806 5,004 5,046 Pepperell 10,098 11,142 11,497 11,604 11,762 Petersham 1,131 1,180 1,234 1,194 1,242 Phillipston 1,485 1,621 1,682 1,726 1,794 Princeton 3,189 3,353 3,413 3,495 3,618 Royalston 1,147 1,254 1,258 1,250 1,297 Rutland 4,936 6,353 7,973 9,049 9,776 Sherborn 3,989 4,200 4,119 4,401 4,455 Shirley 6,118 6,373 7,211 7,431 7,189 Shrewsbury 24,146 31,640 35,608 38,325 39,627 Southborough 6,628 8,781 9,767 10,450 10,559 Southbridge 17,816 17,214 16,719 17,740 18,105 Spencer 11,645 11,691 11,688 11,992 12,173 Sterling 6,481 7,257 7,808 7,985 8,358 Stow 5,328 5,902 6,590 7,174 7,248 Sturbridge 7,775 7,837 9,268 9,867 10,120 Sudbury 14,358 16,841 17,659 18,934 19,643 Sutton 6,824 8,250 8,963 9,357 9,662 Templeton 6,438 6,799 8,013 8,149 8,553 Townsend 8,496 9,198 8,926 9,127 9,143 Upton 4,677 5,642 7,542 8,000 8,560 Uxbridge 10,415 11,156 13,457 14,162 14,783 Warren 4,437 4,776 5,135 4,975 5,122 Wayland 11,874 13,100 12,994 13,943 13,913 Webster 16,196 16,415 16,767 17,776 17,835 West Boylston 6,611 7,481 7,669 7,877 7,923 West Brookfield 3,532 3,804 3,701 3,833 3,947 Westborough 14,133 17,997 18,272 21,567 22,894 Westminster 6,191 6,907 7,277 8,213 8,807 Winchendon 8,805 9,611 10,300 10,364 10,620 Worcester 169,759 172,648 181,045 206,518 213,862 Total 1,058,900 1,141,707 1,207,206 1,303,746 1,339,944 Central Massachusetts population grew 26.5% from 1990 to 2025 Source: U.S.Census Bureau, Decennial Census 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020 and Annual Estimates 2025