City profile · Massachusetts · Census ACS 2023

Shirley, MA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Shirley — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

1,256
Residents
$378,700
Median home
$2,261
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Shirley, MA

Shirley is a city in Massachusetts with a population of 1,256 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Typical homes in Shirley are valued around $378,700, and the median resident age is 44.2 years. About 41.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 67.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 379.2 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Massachusetts registers 105.8 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,261 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $330 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 78.8 out of 100 (High).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

1,256 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Massachusetts

Median Household Income

N/A /yr

Poverty 0.0%

Cost of Living Index

105.8 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Shirley compare to other US cities?

Where Shirley sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Home value 75% pricier than other cities
Median rent 98% pricier than other cities
Safety 90% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Shirley against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Shirley, MA Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Shirley, MA. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Shirley, MA — median $74,755/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Shirley, MA — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 41.5%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 67.3%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
1,256
Median Income
N/A
Median Home Value
$378,700
Median Age
44.2
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
67.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
41.5%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
379.2
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
102.1
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
277.1
per 1,000 residents

Schools

Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
65.2%
Carpool
7.4%
Public Transit
1.8%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
25.5%

Based on 713 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

Massachusetts state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
105.8
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$2,261/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
78.8 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Shirley, MA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Shirley, MA — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Shirley compares to nearby Massachusetts cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Shirley) plus the nearest peer cities in Massachusetts, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

MA

Shirley

74.50% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$74,755
Brackets
1
Selected

MA

Green Harbor

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$130
Brackets
1
Selected

MA

Holland

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$130
Brackets
1
Selected

MA

West Chatham

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$130
Brackets
1
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MA FBI UCR NCES CCD OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Shirley, MA?

What is the population of Shirley, MA? +

Shirley, MA has a population of 1,256 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the cost of living in Shirley? +

Shirley has a cost of living index of 105.8 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Shirley, MA safe? +

Shirley has a total crime rate of 379.2 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Shirley, MA? +

The median home value in Shirley is $378,700, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

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.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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