Most of Worcester is in Worcester County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $51.99 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 12 ZIP codes in Worcester with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,440 to $1,740 a month. At the middle rent, $1,585, a full-time job would need to pay $53.72 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01602 | Worcester County | $1,740/mo | $59.69/hr |
| 01603 | Worcester County | $1,520/mo | $51.22/hr |
| 01604 | Worcester County | $1,730/mo | $59.31/hr |
| 01605 | Worcester County | $1,650/mo | $56.23/hr |
| 01606 | Worcester County | $1,690/mo | $57.77/hr |
| 01607 | Worcester County | $1,610/mo | $54.68/hr |
| 01608 | Worcester County | $1,630/mo | $55.45/hr |
| 01609 | Worcester County | $1,440/mo | $48.13/hr |
| 01610 | Worcester County | $1,560/mo | $52.76/hr |
| 01613 | Worcester County | $1,530/mo | $51.60/hr |
| 01653 | Worcester County | $1,530/mo | $51.60/hr |
| 01655 | Worcester County | $1,530/mo | $51.60/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Worcester needs to pay at least $51.99 an hour before taxes, about $108,133 a year. That is the figure for Worcester County, where the typical studio rent is $1,540 a month.
Yes. Across the 12 ZIP codes in Worcester with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,440 to $1,740 a month. At the middle rent of $1,585, the pay needed would be $53.72 an hour.
The minimum wage in Worcester County is $15.00 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 3.5 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads