The Research Bureau

Call Directions Website Contact the organization

The Research Bureau Serving the public interest of Worcester, MA, by conducting independent research and analysis of public policy issues to promote informed public debate.

Worcester Almanac: 2026 compiles data from a variety of sources to inform decision-makers and the general public on impo...
10/15/2026

Worcester Almanac: 2026 compiles data from a variety of sources to inform decision-makers and the general public on important areas of interest for the City of Worcester, surrounding communities, and Worcester County. WRRB has established dashboards for each section in the Worcester Almanac and will be released weekly with a our usual publication later in the fall.

This week, Worcester Regional Research Bureau is pleased to release its Demographics & Economy Data Dashboard. This interactive data tool includes charts and tables on Households, Income, Population, Race/Ethnicity, Disability, Language & Origin, Internet, Poverty & Inequality, Housing, Home Values & Rent, Homelessness, Office Space, Employment, Hotels, and much more.

For all of WRRB's Almanac Dashboards: https://www.wrrb.org/reports/2026/09/worcester-almanac-2026-2/

The Opportunity Zone (OZ) program uses federal tax incentives to encourage private investment in low-income communities ...
10/15/2026

The Opportunity Zone (OZ) program uses federal tax incentives to encourage private investment in low-income communities and was made into a permanent, decennial program through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (OBBBA). In June, WRRB released a brief and an accompanying interactive map, which shifted attention to the next round of OZ designations by examining all eligible census tracts across Worcester County.

Massachusetts submitted its nominations to the U.S. Department of the Treasury on October 2, 2026. The nominated tracts still remain subject to Treasury certification. Once certified, the OZ designations will take effect on January 1, 2027 and remain in place through December 31, 2036.

The Healey-Driscoll Administration nominated 13 census tracts in Worcester County. Five are classified as rural and eight as non-rural. As such, WRRB updated its map to provide demographic, economic, tax and transportation data to help users compare nominated and non-nominated tracts. Additionally, users can explore the statewide Opportunity Zone nomination map to view all nominated census tracts across the Commonwealth.

Explore the Update: https://www.wrrb.org/reports/2026/06/mapping-the-next-opportunity-worcester-countys-opportunity-zone-choices/

The latest Insights Insider of the year explores poverty and cost burden throughout Worcester County. In partnership wit...
10/14/2026

The latest Insights Insider of the year explores poverty and cost burden throughout Worcester County. In partnership with Greater Worcester Community Foundation and using data from Worcester County Insights and the U.S. Census Bureau, we analyzed changes in household incomes, household cost-burden, rates of poverty in Worcester County over time, compared poverty rates in rural, suburban, and urban communities.

Although Massachusetts has one of the highest median household incomes in the United States, poverty remains persistent in many communities. Worcester County is no exception. Despite a decrease in the number of residents experiencing poverty between 2012 and 2022 statewide, Worcester County has seen an increase over that same period - however, combined with population increases, the percentage of residents experiencing poverty has remained static.

Read Insights Insider: Poverty and Cost Burden in Worcester County: https://www.wrrb.org/reports/2026/10/insights-insider-poverty-and-cost-burden-in-worcester-county/

10/06/2026

Electric Vehicles require chargers. In Worcester County, there are approximately 1,100 charging ports across 366 different locations. Most of these are "Level 2" which means it would take 4-10 hours to charge from empty to 80%. While this is great and this number continues to grow, the density of public charging stations, especially DC Fast chargers, must increase in order to support the increasing adoption of zero emissions vehicles.

For more on Charging Infrastructure across Worcester County, read "On Track for Zero Emissions?": https://www.wrrb.org/reports/transportation/2026/09/on-track-for-zero-emissions-3/

10/01/2026

Here's a quick breakdown/introduction of WRRB's recent report "On Track for Zero Emissions" from WRRB Researcher, Josh.

This report is a close analysis of electric vehicles adoption in Worcester County and includes some key recommendations.

1) The Commonwealth must commit to spending on EV charging stations across the state’s highways, including money that has already been granted.

2) The density of fully public charging stations locally must increase, including more DC fast chargers.

3) Getting municipal feedback on where to put chargers, especially curb-side, is crucial, and we must encourage all municipalities to do so.

4) Municipalities should offer zoning incentives to encourage EV charging infrastructure construction.

For our full analysis: https://www.wrrb.org/reports/transportation/2026/09/on-track-for-zero-emissions-3/

Worcester Almanac: 2026 compiles data from a variety of sources to inform decision-makers and the general public on impo...
10/01/2026

Worcester Almanac: 2026 compiles data from a variety of sources to inform decision-makers and the general public on important areas of interest for the City of Worcester, surrounding communities, and Worcester County. WRRB has established dashboards for each section in the Worcester Almanac and will be released weekly with a our usual publication later in the fall.

This week, Worcester Regional Research Bureau is pleased to release its Transportation & Infrastructure Data Dashboard. This interactive data tool includes charts and tables on Commuting, Motor Vehicles, Worcester Regional Airport, Parking, Rideshare, WRTA and the Commuter Rail, Street and Water Infrastructure, Trash, Recycling, and much more.

For all of WRRB's Almanac Dashboards: https://www.wrrb.org/reports/2026/09/worcester-almanac-2026-2/

Worcester Almanac: 2026 compiles data from a variety of sources to inform decision-makers and the general public on impo...
09/29/2026

Worcester Almanac: 2026 compiles data from a variety of sources to inform decision-makers and the general public on important areas of interest for the City of Worcester, surrounding communities, and Worcester County. The Worcester Almanac: 2026 is an important tool for public officials, business leadership, and members of the public covering a wide array of public policy issues in the region.

For the first time, the Worcester Regional Research Bureau has established dashboards for each section in the Worcester Almanac: Government, Transportation & Infrastructure, Demographics & the Economy, Education, Public Safety, Health, Weather, and Sports. Dashboards will be released weekly with the WRRB's annual Worcester Almanac will still be released as our PDF compendium of data later in the fall.

This week, Worcester Regional Research Bureau is pleased to release its Government Data Dashboard. This interactive data tool includes charts and tables on the Population, Voter Turnout and Registration, Tax Rates, Property Values, Municipal Finance, Bond Ratings, Public Employee Counts, Library System, and much more, including a separate map function for some of the data.

Worcester Almanac: 2026: https://www.wrrb.org/reports/2026/09/worcester-almanac-2026-2/

New Report Release! On Track for Zero Emissions? is a close analysis of electric vehicle (EV) adoption within Worcester ...
09/15/2026

New Report Release! On Track for Zero Emissions? is a close analysis of electric vehicle (EV) adoption within Worcester County's sixty municipalities!

In 2025, according to the International Energy Agency, 25% of all vehicles sold worldwide were either battery electric or plug-in hybrids. In Worcester County, the number of battery electric and plug-in hybrid registrations (“zero-emissions vehicles”) grew from 0.44% of all vehicles in January 2021 to 2.21% of all vehicles in January 2026. While the number of registered zero-emissions vehicles remains low in Worcester County, it is growing.

For our full analysis and recommendations: https://www.wrrb.org/reports/2026/09/on-track-for-zero-emissions

09/03/2026

In Paying for a Public Education, The Research Bureau continues its annual practice of explaining how Worcester Public Schools' budget works, highlighting revenues and expenditures, how Massachusetts determines what it costs for an “adequate education,” how WPS compares to other Gateway Cities, and what to watch out for in future years.

Read Paying for a Public Education: https://www.wrrb.org/reports/2026/08/paying-for-a-public-education-fy27/

Address

100 Front Street, Floor 19
Worcester, MA
01608

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+15087997169

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Research Bureau posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to The Research Bureau:

Shortcuts

Share