Updated 5 days ago on .
Homeownership Deserts in Worcester, MA
According to the MassINC Policy Center’s 2025 Gateway Cities Housing Monitor report, Worcester has 8 homeownership deserts. These are defined as neighborhoods where fewer than 20 percent of homes are owner occupied.
At under 20% home ownership, the average poverty rate is 30%.
At 20% home ownership, the poverty rate is 22%.
At 70% home ownership, the poverty rate is 6%.
What does this tell us?
Cities have been working hard to increase and improve housing in these areas, but most of it is rental housing. Yes, it’s good to have more affordable, quality housing, and it does alleviate poverty. However, home ownership is the engine that helps families move out of poverty long term.
Home ownership is one of the ways that we are able to reduce income inequality as well. Having a fixed cost of housing allows longer term thinking and encourages saving.
How do we increase homeownership?
Instead of using funds for multi-family rental housing which serves to take money and resources away from the local community, send them to the investors who own the buildings.
We need to create affordable condos, attached homes, and small multi-family buildings while encouraging home ownership. We also need to provide resources for these owners to manage and maintain their buildings so they are able to increase their wealth.