Public Policy Research - Worcester Regional Research Bureau

Turning Data Into Insight

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Read our report Questions for the Candidates?

Read our report Insights Insider: Pre-K Education in Worcester County

Read our report Express for Whom?

View our visualization Where are Worcester’s Woes?

Read our report Insights Insider: Worcester County’s Growing Job Sectors

View our visualization Cashing in on Cannabis

Read our report Bureau Update: Mass. Exodus in Civil Service

Read our report Insights Insider – Community Health: Asthma

Read our report Casting Ballots on Taxes: Town Meeting, Local Governance, and Proposition 2 1/2’s Limits

Watch Our 39th Annual Meeting featuring President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

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Recent Reports & Forums

Mapping the Next Opportunity: Worcester County’s OZ Choices

The Opportunity Zone (OZ) program uses federal tax incentives to encourage private investment in low-income communities and was made into …

City Manager Batista to Deliver State of the City Address on June 17 at Worcester's City Hall.

State of the City 2026

The City of Worcester and the Worcester Regional Research Bureau (WRRB) will present a State of the City Address on …

Raising Housing: Understanding the Affordable Housing Crisis in Worcester

Raising Housing: Understanding the Affordable Housing Crisis in Worcester moves beyond description to deeper analysis of the Housing Production Plan …

This edition of Insights Insider covers protected land throughout Worcester County

Insights Insider: Protected Land in Worcester County

In partnership with Greater Worcester Community Foundation and using data from Worcester County Insights, this Insights Insider explores protected land in …

Worcester's HPP provides a roadmap for addressing Worcester's Housing Challenges. This Brief overviews HPP & core housing challenges and highlights its goals and strategies to achieve them.

Housing Production Plan Explainer

This brief is an overview of the HPP and the core housing challenges, broad goals, and specific strategies the City …

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Welcome to The Research Bureau

Promoting Informed Debate and Decision-Making through Public Policy Research

The Worcester Regional Research Bureau serves the public interest of Greater Worcester by conducting independent, non-partisan research and analysis of public policy issues to promote informed public debate and decision-making. For thirty years, The Research Bureau has worked to protect the public interest in Greater Worcester by identifying issues, investigating impacts, and educating the public and government officials of opportunities and best practices.

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Suggest a Research Topic

The Research Bureau receives many suggestions for report subjects. When considering the viability of a potential report, WRRB staff asks a series of questions. In an effort to ensure we have answers to these questions when discussing an idea or pitch, we ask that our friends and partners with ideas provide as much detail as possible when submitting.

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Our Latest News

Economic engine: With MBTA ridership rebounding, planned improvements are needed to keep pace with housing and business growth

April 20, 2026

Full and original article posted on Worcester Business Journal. More than 2,600 housing units have been built within a half-mile radius of Commuter Rail stations in Central Massachusetts over the...

The Worcester City Council Circles the Drain; Pt. 1

April 15, 2026

Full and original article posted on This Week in Worcester. This piece is the first in a series that will look at actions taken by some councilors over recent years...

Are Worcester public schools improving? Here’s what a new dashboard found

January 30, 2026

Full and original article posted on Masslive. A new dashboard tracking Worcester Public Schools’ (WPS) progress over the past four years finds that, in many measures, student learning is improving. But more needs...