Shirley
What’s happening
Weather
Forecast →Upcoming events
Put the next local happening — a market, a meeting, a concert — on the map.
Local news
Headlines via Google News · Articles belong to their publishers.
The Shirley album
Outdoors in Shirley
Parks & trails →Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
About Shirley
Town in Massachusetts, United StatesShirley is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately thirty miles west-northwest of Boston. The population was 7,431 at the 2020 census. It contains census-designated place of Shirley and part of Devens. The town has a well-preserved historic New England town center. It is home to the Massachusetts Correctional Institution – Shirley, a medium-security state prison. (The neighboring maximum-security Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center lies just outside the town limits in the town of Lancaster.) The remains of a Shaker village have been preserved within the grounds of the prison.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
How Shirley ranks
All →Town numbers
Housing in Shirley
The typical Shirley home is worth about $562,000, up 2.3% in a year, 15% below the Massachusetts typical home.
Only 1 sale in May 2026, too few for a market read. The typical value is the steadier guide.
Safety in Shirley
Safety Grade A-
Shirley reports less crime per resident than 80% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade. Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Shirley sits closer to the middle.
Work & commute in Shirley
Full picture →Most working residents leave Shirley for work: only 6% work in town. The top destinations are Boston (9%), Ayer (5%) and Leominster (4%). Half commute less than 20 miles.
Health in Shirley
Health Grade A
Healthier than 87% of U.S. towns on seven CDC estimates.
Compared with Massachusetts
of 32 measures CDC estimates. The other 30 are too close to call.
What stands out
Care nearby
Natural hazards in Shirley
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 16% of U.S. communities.
Climate in Shirley
Full climate →Shirley has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 53 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
Schools in Shirley
All Shirley schools →School Grade C+
The public schools Shirley’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 65% of Massachusetts’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.
School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within MA. Ratings are from neighbors.
Shirley’s library
Library details →Where Shirley is
Explore map →Imported town boundary