Sudbury has the highest median household income of any community in Central Massachusetts and the fourth highest in the state at $170,945, according to new Census data.
Worcester has the region’s lowest median household income at just $45,869. The region’s other older manufacturing cities have struggled with lower incomes, including Gardner, whose median income is $48,915 and Southbridge, at $50,202.
Many of the state’s wealthiest communities lie west of Boston, in close-in suburbs like Dover, which has the state’s highest median household income at $204,018. Many other MetroWest towns make that list, including Sherborn ($170,872), Wayland ($166,893), Bolton ($151,618), Hopkinton ($151,357), and Stow ($144,766).
Among other notable high-earning towns are Southborough ($142,426), Harvard ($134,355) and Princeton ($128,006).
The region’s Gateway Cities still suffer from lower earnings. Leominster’s median household income is $57,610 and Fitchburg’s is $51,412.
Those communities, along with Worcester, are closer to the state’s poorest communities than they are some of their wealthier neighbors. The state’s poorest community is Monroe, a small town on the Vermont border where the median income is $31,458. Close behind are Springfield, Holyoke and North Adams.
