Central Region
Economic Development in Central Massachusetts
Central Massachusetts is an economic development force of its own. From the western edge of the I-495 Corridor to Worcester, the second-largest city in New England, this expansive region is home to all the leading industries of Greater Boston. However, Central Massachusetts offers the benefit of lower-cost structures. Companies in industries such as biopharma, advanced manufacturing, finance, and distributive operations have all started and grown their businesses in the Central Region of Massachusetts. Also, many of New England’s premier land sites with impressive supporting infrastructure are in Central Massachusetts, located everywhere from the North Central region to the southern Blackstone Valley.
Central Massachusetts by the Numbers
Colliers and CBRE
U.S. B.L.S.
https://www.bls.gov/lpc/state-productivity.htm#Q03
AdvisorSmith COL Index 2020
AdvisorSmith COL Index 2020
AdvisorSmith COL Index 2020
2023 Corporate Welcome Reception Honoree Videos
Honoring Companies Choosing to Locate and Expand in Central Massachusetts
Employees and Employers in the Central Region of Massachusetts
Export Industry Employees
within 45 mile radius of region's center point. Source: GIS Planner, 2021
Leading Export Employers by Job Listings
Last 6 months (Apr. 1, 2021 - Sep. 30, 2021). Source: Labar Insight, Burning Class Technologies, 2021
Central Massachusetts Economic Development Projects
Contract manufacturer for the healthcare industry, SMC Ltd., will add 230K SF (more than doubling its footprint in Devens, Massachusetts) and will hire 100 employees next year.
RP Masiello completed a 145K SF multi-use complex for aerospace technology company David Clark's R&D, engineering, manufacturing and a new corporate HQ in Worcester, MA.
Hopedale, MA will be home to the largest shipping facility in New England with Danish logistics company Maersk's 617K SF facility. The company will bring 1,000 jobs and plans to open in late August 2027.
French defense company Exosens is moving from PA to Sturbridge, MA in Q1 2027 for its U.S. HQ. The new facility will help it fulfill a contract with the U.S. Army worth up to $353M for the development, production & testing of advanced night vision equipment.
After receiving $1.8 million in state incentives, gummy and supplement manufacturer Sky Nutro will be relocating 20 jobs and adding 120 jobs in the move of its HQ from Southbridge to a new 93K SF building in Milford.
Advanced metal parts manufacturer VulcanForms committed to building a $1.3 billion manufacturing facility in Devens. This project marks its third Massachusetts facility, and its second in Devens, and will create 1,063 permanent jobs. Massachusetts approved $21.3 million in tax credits to support the expansion.
Nasoya finished its $55 million expansion, building the world’s largest tofu production line in Ayer, Massachusetts.
MassEcon Corporate Welcome honoree Auxilium launches businesses of the future from inside historic Worcester building.
Veranova, a global leader in process development and manufacturing of APIs, broke ground on a 9K SF expansion in Devens that will include a state-of-the-art process development laboratory and two current Good Manufacturing Practice suites.
PI (Physik Instrumente), a global leader in high-precision motion control and nanopositioning systems, is set to open a 140K SF facility in Fall 2025 in Shrewsbury and will triple the company’s current manufacturing space across New England.
Italian drugmaker ITF Therapeutics, dedicated to bringing new therapeutic options to people living with rare diseases, has opened its new U.S. HQ in Concord.
A manufacturer of advanced, industrial-scale hydrogen electrolyzer technology, announced the location of its first factory in Devens, Massachusetts. The company has leased a newly constructed 187,000 square-foot facility and is now hiring production team members. The Devens factory will have an annual manufacturing capacity of 1.2GW with production of EH2’s 100MW green hydrogen electrolyzers commencing in Q1 2024.
Minnesota-based Trelleborg Healthcare & Medical is expand its manufacturing facility and BioPharma Center of Excellence in Northborough. The three-phase expansion project is expected to create at least 50 new jobs and phase one should commence in January 2023.
The Kraft Group recently held its topping off ceremony for the 373,500 SF manufacturing facility its building for its Worcester-based packaging manufacturing division in Bolylston.
UGPG RE Sutton, LLC plans to build a 2.3 million SF facility in Sutton and received the largest TIF deal, valued at $49.7 million over 20 years.
USRE Patriot-Amazon plans to build a 2.86 million SF facility in Charlton.
Bristol Myers Squibb to build 244,000 SF cell therapy manufacturing facilities at Devens and add over 300 jobs.
Lykan Bioscience, an emerging manufacturer of clinical products to provide solutions in cell and gene therapy manufacturing, has moved into its new facility in Hopkinton. The company conducted a site search in MA and out-of-state and identified a viable location in Hopkinton. The project consists of lease and renovation of a vacant, 63,000 sq. ft. building to create a state-of-the-art clinical manufacturing facility. The company has created 125 new jobs and made a private investment of $12 million. The town of Hopkinton approved a 10-year TIF agreement valued at approximately $416,788 to support the project.
Explore Massachusetts' Other Regions
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To start your customized site search in Central Massachusetts or any region, start here and contact Doug Kehlhem, Senior Director, MassEcon, Dkehlhem@massecon.com, 617-9244-600, x112. Or, submit an on-line search request here
