NAICS 23

Construction in Worcester, MA

Metro Market Score 70.7 (Difficult), ranked #331 of 342 metros. 2,526 establishments, 16,905 jobs.

Metro Market Score 70.7

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

💰High-Cost Market

Construction employment in Worcester contracted year-over-year, placing the growth trend in the bottom 10% at 5.6. Declining job counts can indicate consolidation, population shifts, or reduced local demand. Due diligence on the local economy is especially important here.

Industry Concentration

43.6

LQ: 0.92

Rank #149 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

95.0

$90,345 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 5.6

Employment growth index

Rank #324 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

38.4

YoY wage change index

2,526 Construction Firms in Worcester

2,526

Establishments

-14.0% YoY

16,905

Total Employment

-6.6% YoY

$90,345

Average Annual Wage

+6.3% YoY

0.92

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Massachusetts

#5 of 6

construction metros in state

Massachusetts state rank

#23 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

+5.0

worse than median (65.7)

Worcester vs Massachusetts Statewide

How this metro's construction market compares to Massachusetts overall. The state ranks #23/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Worcester	MA Statewide
Overall Score	70.7 Difficult	41.5 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#331 of 342 metros	#23 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Worcester

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 61.4 Other Services 62.5 Information 65.6 Accommodation and Food Services 66.2 Administrative and Support Services 69.4 Retail Trade 74.0 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 76.1 Finance and Insurance 77.7 Healthcare and Social Assistance 84.9

Construction in Other Massachusetts Metros

Amherst Town-Northampton 44.4 #142/342 Pittsfield 54.5 #239/342 Boston-Cambridge-Newton 63.2 #300/342 Springfield 65.7 #315/342 Barnstable Town 72.9 #333/342

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Worcester's 70.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV 70.5 #330/342 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 71.4 #332/342 Bozeman, MT 69.9 #329/342 Appleton, WI 69.6 #328/342 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 69.5 #327/342 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX 69.4 #326/342 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 68.6 #325/342 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 68.4 #324/342 Barnstable Town, MA 72.9 #333/342 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 68.3 #323/342

Construction in States Bordering Massachusetts

State-level entry risk for construction in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

New Hampshire 32.6 #6/51 Rhode Island 38.8 #17/51 Vermont 40.0 #21/51 Connecticut 43.2 #27/51 New York 51.1 #37/51

Browse Construction in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for construction across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Worcester's construction sector, the employment growth component (94.4) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Worcester, MA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment