Assisted living in Worcester County, Massachusetts

What is assisted living in Massachusetts?

Assisted living in Massachusetts is a residence certified by the Executive Office of Aging & Independence that provides a private apartment, meals, housekeeping and help with daily activities and medications for a monthly fee, but not round-the-clock nursing care.

It suits people who need help with bathing, dressing or medication reminders but not skilled nursing. Residents are tenants with rights under 651 CMR 12.08. See how certification works.

How many assisted living residences are certified in Worcester County?

AGE's list of certified Assisted Living Residences (as of June 25, 2026) shows 30 residences in Worcester County with 1,803 certified units, most of them in Worcester (6), Leominster (3), Shrewsbury (3) and Milford (3).

The assisted living roster lists every residence with its units, memory care units, first certification date and latest posted compliance review.

What does assisted living cost in Worcester County?

CareScout's 2025 Massachusetts median for assisted living is $115,200 a year, about $9,600 a month; no Worcester County median is published, and AGE's census shows the median residence's fees ranging from $4,228 to $9,225 a month for traditional units.

Medicare does not pay. MassHealth's Group Adult Foster Care can pay for personal care for eligible low-income residents in participating residences, and VA Aid and Attendance and long-term care insurance are the other common sources.

How do we tell Worcester County residences apart?

Start with the state record (how long the residence has been certified, its size, whether it has memory care, and what its latest compliance review found), then compare written fee schedules, medication help, overnight staffing and the move-out criteria.

Because Massachusetts does not rate assisted living, the in-person questions matter more here than for nursing homes. Each residence page on this site lists questions drawn from its own record.

When does assisted living stop being enough?

When a resident needs skilled nursing every day, two-person help with most movement, or supervision a residence cannot safely provide, the residence may require a move under its written criteria and landlord-tenant law.

Ask each residence for those criteria in writing, and note which residences share an address with a nursing home.

Where are certified Assisted Living Residences located across Worcester County?

Here is how the state and CMS records distribute certified Assisted Living Residences across Worcester County's cities and towns; 44 of the 60 have none with a local address.