Postal Codes

01603 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 01603 covers Worcester, Massachusetts, with a population of about 21,034 and a median household income of $63,646.

Population
21,0344,643 per square mile
Median age
35.43.3 points below the US average
Median household income
$63,64637% below the Massachusetts median
Poverty rate
17.1%4.7 points above the US average
Typical home value
$404,688up 29.9% in five years
Median rent
$1,33921% below the Massachusetts median
Degree or higher
24.2%10.8 points below the US average
Homeownership
48.4%16.6 points below the US average
Time zone
Eastern UTC-05:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
429

Where 01603 is

Worcester, Massachusetts — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population21,034
Median age35.4
Family households61.1%
Born outside the US24.6%
Speaks a language other than English at home43.6%
White (non-Hispanic)45.3%
Black (non-Hispanic)11.5%
Asian (non-Hispanic)11.7%
Hispanic or Latino27.4%
Veterans3.9%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$63,646
Income per person$32,659
Poverty rate17.1%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance34.1%

Household income distribution

Under $10k5.1%
$10–15k7.8%
$15–20k5.3%
$20–25k3.9%
$25–30k4.8%
$30–35k2.8%
$35–40k5.7%
$40–45k1.9%
$45–50k2.9%
$50–60k7.2%
$60–75k9.4%
$75–100k11.3%
$100–125k10.7%
$125–150k7.0%
$150–200k8.2%
$200k or more5.9%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed10,080
Mean adjusted gross income$52,155
Returns declaring $200,000 or more1.4%
Returns, under $25k31.0%
Returns, $25k–$50k29.1%
Returns, $50k–$75k18.2%
Returns, $75k–$100k9.2%
Returns, $100k–$200k11.2%
Returns, $200k or more1.4%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$287,800
Median gross rent$1,339
Rent as a share of household income32.9%
Owner-occupied48.4%
Vacant homes4.4%
Median year built1940

What the homes are

Detached house32.9%
Attached house8%
2 to 4 units39.6%
5 to 19 units8.9%
20 or more units10.6%
Mobile home0.1%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$404,688as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 1.3%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 29.9%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 123.8%
Typical asking rent$2,063as of 2026-07
Typical asking rent, 1 yearup 1.3%
Typical home value since 2000
200020132026$404,688$114,707

$114,707 in 2000 to $404,688 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate8.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher24.2%
High school diploma or higher82.9%
Works from home7%
Drives to work alone68.5%
Takes public transport2.4%
Commutes 45 minutes or more15.2%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity36.4% 3 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes13.2% 1.2 pts above the national average of 12%
Currently smokes16.2% 3 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure34.1% same as the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health24.9% 4.6 pts above the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)9.9% 1.4 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression25.4% 3.5 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity32.5% 7.1 pts above the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis24.7% same as the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking16.2% same as the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication72.6% 2.1 pts below the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)6% 1.7 pts below the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma12.6% 2.2 pts above the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease6.3% same as the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year79.5% 2.8 pts above the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening85.3% 0.6 pts below the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability19.1% 4.3 pts above the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening61.9% 2.4 pts below the national average of 64.3%
COPD7.4% 0.8 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist58.9% 2.4 pts below the national average of 61.3%
Any disability34.3% 3.6 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support29.6% 4.8 pts above the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity26.1% 9 pts above the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps29.8% 15.5 pts above the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability6.2% 0.5 pts below the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol34.1% 2.1 pts below the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity19.6% 5.8 pts above the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability10.6% 2.2 pts above the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport13.9% 4.7 pts above the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness38.4% 4 pts above the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use82% 6.1 pts above the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)20% 3.2 pts above the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability15.3% 1.3 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)16% 2.5 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability4.9% 0.9 pts above the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat13.5% 4.7 pts above the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours38.7% 2.3 pts above the national average of 36.4%
Stroke3.6% same as the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost19.8% 6.8 pts above the national average of 13%
Vision disability7.2% 1.6 pts above the national average of 5.6%
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Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments429
People employed6,646
Annual payroll$315,403,000
Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 16% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingVery Low to Relatively Moderate across the 10 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss14.6 out of 100
Community resilience78.3 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Hurricane77.1Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm72.5Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide70.5Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind50.9Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave40.7Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail38.4Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning35.1Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake33.3Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado30.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire26.4Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding24.6Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather22.7Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave22.3Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with Massachusetts and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPMassachusettsUnited States
Median household income$63,646$101,341$78,538
Income per person$32,659$56,284$43,289
Poverty rate17.1%10%12.4%
Median home value$287,800$525,800$303,400
Median gross rent$1,339$1,687$1,348
Homeownership48.4%62.6%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher24.2%46.6%35%
Unemployment rate8.4%5.1%5.2%
Works from home7%16.7%13.5%
Born outside the US24.6%17.7%13.9%
Median age35.44038.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationWORCESTER RGNL AP, MA US4.1 km away
Rain in a year48 in
Snow in a year73 in

Average high and low by month

January32.3°F / 17.1°F3.52 in rain, 18.2 in snow
February35.1°F / 18.9°F3.26 in rain, 21.2 in snow
March43°F / 26°F4.19 in rain, 13.7 in snow
April55.7°F / 36.5°F4.08 in rain, 1.9 in snow
May66.6°F / 46.8°F3.56 in rain
June74.5°F / 55.9°F4.22 in rain
July79.8°F / 61.7°F3.93 in rain
August78.1°F / 60.5°F4.14 in rain
September70.7°F / 53.2°F4.24 in rain
October58.9°F / 42.2°F4.84 in rain, 1.1 in snow
November47.9°F / 32.5°F4 in rain, 1.9 in snow
December37.5°F / 23.4°F4.28 in rain, 14.9 in snow
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarket15% of this ZIP code's area
Far from a supermarket40% of this ZIP code's area
No vehicle and far from a supermarket15% of this ZIP code's area
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

This ZIP code is served by 2 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Worcester School District98.4% of this ZIP code's land area
Auburn School District1.6% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability62more vulnerable than 62% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status61more vulnerable than 61% of US census tracts
Household characteristics56more vulnerable than 56% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status67more vulnerable than 67% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport58more vulnerable than 58% of US census tracts
Walkability13.6 out of 20Above average
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

01610 Worcester, MA2.3 km away
01602 Worcester, MA2.8 km away
01611 Cherry Valley, MA3.2 km away
01601 Worcester, MA3.5 km away
01614 Worcester, MA3.5 km away
01615 Worcester, MA3.5 km away
01608 Worcester, MA3.7 km away
01607 Worcester, MA4 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Worcester County100% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneEastern (UTC-05:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area4.53 sq mi
Water area0.13 sq mi
Population density4,643 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude42.2450, -71.8380

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

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