Housing data for Shirley (community), MA
Shirley (community), MA has an estimated 1,146 residents and 503 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Middlesex County.
36.8% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $982 a month.
Its population shrank measurably since 2015–2019 (−38.4%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,146 (±498)
- Housing units
- 503 (±206)
- Households that rent
- 36.8%
- Median gross rent
- $982
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −38.4%
What stands out in Shirley (community)
Median gross rent: $982 (±$797) in Shirley (community), lower than in Middlesex County ($2,201).
Households without a vehicle: 2.6% (±4.7 points) in Shirley (community), lower than in Middlesex County (10.3%).
Median home value: $395,800 (±$50,372) in Shirley (community), lower than in Middlesex County ($727,800).
Median real estate taxes: $4,398 (±$523) in Shirley (community), lower than in Middlesex County ($7,501).
- Commute and cars in Shirley (community)
- Home values in Shirley (community)
- Property taxes in Shirley (community)
Housing in Shirley (community) at a glance
- Median rent: $982 median gross rent a month (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 44.3% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 36.8% of households rent (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Income and affordability: $108,494 median household income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Home values: $395,800 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $2,480 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $4,398 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 35.4% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 60.1% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Age of homes: 68.0% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 41.7% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 31.5 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: −38.4% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 38.6% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Shirley (community) against Middlesex County, its state and the nation
| Shirley (community) | Middlesex County | Massachusetts | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,146 (±498) | 1,638,365 (exact) | 7,044,056 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 503 (±206) | 664,267 (±238) | 3,030,406 (±453) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 36.8% (±18.8 points) | 38.7% (±0.4 points) | 37.5% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $982 (±$797) | $2,201 (±$17) | $1,762 (±$9) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $108,494 (±$61,712) | $130,847 (±$1,164) | $103,960 (±$527) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $395,800 (±$50,372) | $727,800 (±$3,891) | $562,100 (±$2,169) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $4,398 (±$523) | $7,501 (±$59) | $5,992 (±$18) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 68.0% (±25.4 points) | 68.2% (±0.7 points) | 67.4% (±0.4 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 31.5 minutes (±8.0) | 29.9 minutes (±0.2) | 29.1 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 87.9% (±13.1 points) | 94.7% (±0.3 points) | 92.8% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 44.2 years (±14.6) | 38.9 years (±0.2) | 40.0 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Shirley (community) covers 1.3 square miles of land, about 869 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Shirley (community) has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,861 (±401) | 1,146 (±498) | −38.4% | Measurable decrease |
| Housing units | 988 (±192) | 503 (±206) | −49.1% | Measurable decrease |
| Median gross rent | $777 (±$50) | $982 (±$797) | +26.4% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $258,600 (±$25,690) | $395,800 (±$50,372) | +53.1% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $65,507 (±$17,641) | $108,494 (±$61,712) | +65.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $2,132 (±$448) | $2,480 (±$432) | +16.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $3,723 (±$408) | $4,398 (±$523) | +18.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 49.7% (±14.2 points) | 36.8% (±18.8 points) | −12.9 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±7.2 points) | 0.0% (±20.4 points) | 0.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Middlesex County
Shirley (community) has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Middlesex County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Middlesex County recorded 196 violent and 913 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Shirley (community)
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devens | 2.8 mi | $1,500 | $556,800 | 20.7% |
| Lancaster | 3.7 mi | $2,338 | $519,100 | 14.9% |
| Lunenburg | 4.2 mi | $1,974 | $463,900 | 19.3% |
| Ayer (community) | 4.6 mi | $1,240 | $444,600 | 41.9% |
| Harvard | 4.6 mi | $1,321 | $833,600 | 10.6% |
| Lunenburg (community) | 5.0 mi | — | $494,800 | 4.4% |
| Ayer | 5.1 mi | $1,415 | $463,800 | 30.8% |
| Leominster | 5.4 mi | $1,354 | $380,400 | 37.7% |
Places in Massachusetts most like Shirley (community)
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hudson (community) | $1,397 | $473,300 | $90,524 | 32.0% |
| Leominster | $1,354 | $380,400 | $83,816 | 37.7% |
| Clinton | $1,402 | $387,300 | $89,781 | 45.3% |
| Lenox | $1,091 | $466,700 | $106,080 | 28.6% |
| Gardner | $1,109 | $301,600 | $67,518 | 41.1% |
| Pepperell (community) | $1,139 | $457,300 | $76,726 | 50.8% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Massachusetts.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Shirley (community), fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,440 | $2,518 | $3,008 | $3,584 | $3,953 |
HUD income limits for Shirley (community), fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $36,000 | $60,000 | $96,000 |
| 2 people | $41,150 | $68,600 | $109,700 |
| 3 people | $46,300 | $77,150 | $123,400 |
| 4 people | $51,400 | $85,700 | $137,100 |
| 5 people | $55,550 | $92,600 | $148,100 |
| 6 people | $59,650 | $99,450 | $159,050 |
| 7 people | $63,750 | $106,300 | $170,050 |
| 8 people | $67,850 | $113,150 | $181,000 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $164,600.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Shirley (community) is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
It lies inside Shirley, whose figures include it.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Shirley (community)
What is the average home value in Shirley (community), MA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $395,800 (±$50,372) for owner-occupied homes in Shirley (community) (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Shirley (community)?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Shirley (community), MA is $2,480 (±$432) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Shirley (community)?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Shirley (community), MA is $4,398 (±$523) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in Shirley (community)?
Shirley (community), MA has an estimated 503 (±206) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How old are most homes in Shirley (community)?
68.0% of homes in Shirley (community), MA were built before 1980 (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the most common way to heat a home in Shirley (community)?
Utility gas is the most common heating fuel in Shirley (community), used by 41.7% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Shirley (community) growing?
In Shirley (community), the number of residents went from 1,861 in 2015–2019 to 1,146 in 2020–2024 (−38.4%), a measurable decrease.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Shirley CDP, Massachusetts
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Shirley CDP, Massachusetts
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Shirley CDP, Massachusetts
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Shirley CDP, Massachusetts
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Shirley CDP, Massachusetts
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Shirley CDP, Massachusetts
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Shirley CDP, Massachusetts
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Shirley CDP, Massachusetts (place:61555, in state:25).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .