Population
584 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Massachusetts
City profile · Massachusetts · Census ACS 2023
Cheshire, MA
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Cheshire - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 584
- Residents
- $1,626
- Median rent (state)
Cheshire - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Cheshire lands in the 89th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
- 64th
- percentile, median rent
- 89th
- percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Cheshire, MA
Massachusetts's Cheshire is a small town, with 584 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The median resident age is 59.7 years. About 31.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 46.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Cheshire reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 409.3 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Massachusetts carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 105.8 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,626 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Massachusetts run around $330, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 84.0 out of 100 (High).
Median Household Income
N/A /yr
Poverty 15.8%
Cost of Living Index (state)
105.8 (US=100)
Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, Massachusetts average
How does Cheshire compare to other US cities?
Here's how Cheshire stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Median rent 64% pricier than other cities
Safety 89% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Massachusetts, Cheshire ranks #30 of 149 Massachusetts cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Cheshire against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Massachusetts only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Massachusetts-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Cheshire near the bottom of Massachusetts's cities
Among the 247 Massachusetts cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Cheshire ranks #224 - the 5th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Cheshire only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Gross Rent
#224 of 247
5th percentile in Massachusetts
Poverty Rate
#14 of 247
94th percentile in Massachusetts
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#197 of 247
20th percentile in Massachusetts
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Massachusetts only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
89th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Median household income is not available for Cheshire in the current Census ACS release (common for very small places).
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 31.2%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 15.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 46.5%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
584
Median Income
N/A
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
59.7
Poverty Rate
15.8%
Labor force participation
46.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
31.2%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
409.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
31.5
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
377.8
per 100,000 residents
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
84.1%
Carpool
15.5%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.4%
Work from Home
0.0%
Based on 245 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for Massachusetts - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$160
avg/month
Natural Gas
$110
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$60
avg/month
Total Utilities
$330
estimated/month
Estimates reflect Massachusetts state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a Massachusetts state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Cheshire sits in
Cost of Living Index
105.8
Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,626/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
84.0 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in Massachusetts
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Cheshire's 584 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Cheshire compares to nearby Massachusetts cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Cheshire (this city) | 584 | N/A |
| Russell | 568 | $103,456 |
| Barre | 550 | $55,625 |
| West Warren | 619 | N/A |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MA FBI UCR NCES CCD OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Cheshire, MA?
What is the population of Cheshire, MA? +
584 people live in Cheshire, MA according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the cost of living in Cheshire? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Cheshire; the closest available measure is the Massachusetts state average, a cost of living index of 105.8 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Massachusetts vary by metro area.
Is Cheshire, MA safe? +
Cheshire has a total crime rate of 409.3 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.