What kinds of homes are in Shirley, MA?

Name: Types of homes in Shirley, MA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

Shirley, MA has 2,413 (±229) homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is about 153 homes per square mile of land.

68.4% are detached single-family houses.

3.7% are in buildings of two to four units.

14.7% are in buildings of five or more units.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Housing units: 2,413 (±229)
Detached houses: 68.4%
2–4 unit buildings: 3.7%
5+ unit buildings: 14.7%

Homes in Shirley by building size

Housing units by units in structure, 2020–2024
Building type	Shirley	Middlesex County	Massachusetts	United States
Single-family, detached	68.4% (±7.7 points)	46.5%	51.1%	61.3%
Single-family, attached (townhouse, rowhouse)	11.0% (±6.0 points)	6.9%	5.9%	6.2%
2 units	3.1% (±2.9 points)	12.2%	9.3%	3.4%
3 or 4 units	0.6% (±1.0 points)	8.5%	10.7%	4.3%
5 to 9 units	5.3% (±4.3 points)	4.7%	5.7%	4.5%
10 to 19 units	6.9% (±3.8 points)	5.1%	4.2%	4.3%
20 or more units	2.5% (±3.7 points)	15.7%	12.3%	10.3%
Mobile home	2.0% (±1.7 points)	0.4%	0.8%	5.6%
Boat, RV, van, etc.	0.0% (±1.7 points)	0.1%	0.0%	0.1%

In Shirley, the share of homes in buildings of five or more units is lower than in Middlesex County (25.5%).

It is also lower than in Massachusetts (22.2%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (19.1%).

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units in places near Shirley

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Shirley
Place	Distance	Homes in buildings of 5 or more units	Compared with this place
Shirley	—	14.7% (±6.8 points)	—
Devens	2.5 mi	24.9% (±20.8 points)	Not measurably different
Ayer (community)	3.0 mi	16.7% (±7.2 points)	Not measurably different
Ayer	3.4 mi	17.4% (±6.0 points)	Not measurably different
Lunenburg	4.1 mi	8.4% (±3.2 points)	Not measurably different
Lunenburg (community)	4.6 mi	0.0% (±8.8 points)	Lower
Groton (community)	4.7 mi	20.1% (±14.9 points)	Not measurably different
Groton	4.7 mi	7.1% (±2.8 points)	Lower
Harvard	5.5 mi	7.5% (±2.6 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Lunenburg (community), MA (0.0%), Groton, MA (7.1%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units across Middlesex County, place by place

Rank	Place	Homes in buildings of 5 or more units
26	Ayer	17.4% (±6.0 points)
27 (tie)	Newton	16.9% (±1.6 points)
27 (tie)	Bedford	16.9% (±4.1 points)
29	Maynard	16.7% (±4.4 points)
30	Ashland	16.5% (±4.4 points)
31	Billerica	16.3% (±2.8 points)
32	Shirley	14.7% (±6.8 points)
33	Tewksbury	14.5% (±2.7 points)
34	Winchester	14.1% (±3.1 points)
35	Lexington	12.8% (±1.9 points)
36	Hopkinton	11.2% (±3.3 points)
37	Townsend	11.1% (±3.9 points)
38	Lincoln	10.6% (±3.8 points)

Showing 13 of 54 places in Middlesex County, ranked from highest to lowest.

The figures for Shirley include the places inside it that have pages of their own: Shirley (community).

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Shirley

How many homes are in Shirley?

Shirley, MA has an estimated 2,413 (±229) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Are most homes in Shirley houses or apartments?

68.4% are detached houses and 11.0% attached houses, while 18.4% are in buildings of two or more units.

How many two-family and small multifamily homes are in Shirley?

3.7% of homes in Shirley are in buildings of two to four units, the small rental buildings that are often owner-occupied.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Shirley town, Middlesex County, Massachusetts

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 town, Middlesex County, Massachusetts (county subdivision:61590, in state:25 county:017).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0007PE, DP04_0007PM, DP04_0008PE, DP04_0008PM, DP04_0009PE, DP04_0009PM, DP04_0010PE, DP04_0010PM, DP04_0011PE, DP04_0011PM, DP04_0012PE, DP04_0012PM, DP04_0013PE, DP04_0013PM, DP04_0014PE, DP04_0014PM, DP04_0015PE, DP04_0015PM

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.