What percentage of people rent in Shirley, MA?

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

22.6% (±7.4 points) of the occupied homes in Shirley, MA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 515 renting households against 1,762 that own their home.

In Shirley, the share of households that rent went from 27.1% in 2015–2019 to 22.6% in 2020–2024 (−4.5 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 22.6% (±7.4 points)
Renting households: 515 (±166)
Median renter income: $48,882 (±$17,219)

Who rents and who owns in Shirley

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Shirley	Middlesex County	Massachusetts	United States
Renter-occupied share	22.6% (±7.4 points)	38.7% (±0.4 points)	37.5% (±0.3 points)	34.8%
Renting households	515 (±166)	245,322 (±2,507)	1,043,884 (±6,942)	45,017,354
Owning households	1,762 (±251)	388,893 (±2,870)	1,741,158 (±8,598)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.4 (±1.0)	2.2 (±0.0)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.5 (±0.2)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.6 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$48,882 (±$17,219)	$84,135 (±$1,906)	$60,987 (±$576)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$139,405 (±$17,805)	$169,746 (±$1,660)	$135,402 (±$770)	$100,009

In Shirley, the renter share is lower than in Middlesex County (38.7%).

It is also lower than in Massachusetts (37.5%).

It is lower than the national figure (34.8%).

In Middlesex County, Shirley ranks 29 of 54 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 135 of 351.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Shirley has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	27.1% (±6.9 points)	22.6% (±7.4 points)	−4.5 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$810 (±$124)	$1,481 (±$421)	+82.8%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$76,875 (±$17,544)	$122,365 (±$16,320)	+59.2%	Up after inflation

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.

Households that rent in places near Shirley

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Shirley
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Shirley	—	22.6% (±7.4 points)	—
Devens	2.5 mi	20.7% (±11.5 points)	Not measurably different
Ayer (community)	3.0 mi	41.9% (±8.5 points)	Higher
Ayer	3.4 mi	30.8% (±5.5 points)	Not measurably different
Lunenburg	4.1 mi	19.3% (±4.8 points)	Not measurably different
Lunenburg (community)	4.6 mi	4.4% (±4.3 points)	Lower
Groton (community)	4.7 mi	25.1% (±12.5 points)	Not measurably different
Groton	4.7 mi	11.2% (±2.8 points)	Lower
Harvard	5.5 mi	10.6% (±3.7 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Lunenburg (community), MA (4.4%), Groton, MA (11.2%), Harvard, MA (10.6%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Ayer (community), MA (41.9%).

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

Households that rent across Middlesex County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
23	Boxborough	26.6% (±9.0 points)
24	Burlington	25.8% (±2.8 points)
25	Acton	25.1% (±3.3 points)
26	Maynard	25.0% (±4.8 points)
27	Ashland	24.7% (±4.3 points)
28	Concord	24.3% (±4.3 points)
29	Shirley	22.6% (±7.4 points)
30	Billerica	20.6% (±2.9 points)
31	Dracut	20.2% (±3.6 points)
32	Lexington	19.5% (±2.3 points)
33	Winchester	18.3% (±3.0 points)
34	Townsend	18.0% (±3.8 points)
35	Chelmsford	17.9% (±2.2 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), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Shirley

How many renters are there in Shirley?

Shirley has an estimated 515 (±166) renting households, 22.6% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Shirley?

In Shirley, the share of households that rent went from 27.1% in 2015–2019 to 22.6% in 2020–2024 (−4.5 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Shirley?

A renting household in Shirley has 2.4 people on average, against 2.5 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Shirley?

The median renting household in Shirley, MA has an income of $48,882 (±$17,219) a year, against $139,405 for households that own their home.

Sources

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) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) 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 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

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.