Moving to
Webster.

All Webster data Compare Webster

12,228people live here $63,837median household income▼ 21% below US $1,198median rent per month▼ 15% below US $333,100median home valueNear US average

Webster is an unincorporated community in Worcester County, MA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in Webster

Webster is an unincorporated community in Massachusetts with rent below the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Webster deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, and cold, harsh winters.

The good

Rent below the national average
Clean air
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Below-average household incomes
Crime above national average
Low college degree attainment
Cold, harsh winters
Snowy winters — 47" per year
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options

How Webster compares

Median household income

Webster$63,837

Massachusetts avg$103,960

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Webster$1,198

Massachusetts avg$1,762

US$1,413

Median home value

Webster$333,100

Massachusetts avg$562,100

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Webster

Based on Webster's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,396

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $47,920 a year
44% of Webster renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$66,620

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $33,310
Homes cost 5.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▼ 15% below US

$1,198/mo median rent

Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,198 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices run above average, with a median around $333,100. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $333,100 · 44% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.6% county unemployment

Unemployment in Worcester County is 4.6%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Worcester County (county-wide)

Safety▲ 55% above US

512 violent crimes per 100k

Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.

Property crime 658/100k · Webster Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

28 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 27.5 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

77%

Carpool

8.1%

Work from home

7.1%

Other

5.0%

Walk

2.3%

Public transit

0.3%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 17°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▼ 48% below US

19% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.

Schools

3 public schools inside the boundary

There are 3 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 12:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (28 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Webster's strongest points are rent below the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,198/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.

See all the data for Webster →·All Massachusetts cities →