Bay State Atlas
Massachusetts Living Index

Ayer

MetroWest · pop. 8,645

Ayer is a small railroad town repurposing its mill-era bones, Fitchburg Line stop, walkable center, and prices well under $600K for a market 65 minutes from North Station.

Commuter ValueHistoric Village
Livability Index
49
/ 100
Ranks #183 of 194 MA towns

The numbers

Median home
$550k
5.2× household income
Household income
$105k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
60 min
peak driving
Population
8,645
5-yr trend 60/100

How Ayer scores

Schools
68
Safety
72
Walkability
42
Transit
28
Biking
25
Dining
38
Nightlife
28
Arts & Culture
18
Green Space
38
Diversity
30
Climate
72

Who lives in Ayer

U.S. Census ACS 2018–2022 estimates. Rounded.

Median age
40
Foreign-born
8.2%
Bachelor's or higher
39.9%
Population
8,408
White75.2%
Hispanic / Latino15.1%
Asian2.9%
Black2.7%
Other / multi4.1%

Schools in Ayer

Ayer Shirley School District School District. Massachusetts DESE FY2024 (FY2025 graduation rates).

Overall vs MA
Above average
51/100
ELA · 3-8
p43
40.4%
Math · 3-8
p37
37.9%
ELA · 10
p75
73.6%
Math · 10
p49
48.1%
Grad rate
94.3%
Below average
Spend / pupil
$19.0k
Bottom 25%
Teachers / 100
8.2
Below average
Enrollment
1,687

Source: Massachusetts DESE Education-to-Career Research and Data Hub. Percentile ranks against 194 MA towns in our index.

The honest read

Best for
Remote workers or occasional commuters who want real New England character and walkability at low cost.
The tradeoff
Schools are below average; limited dining and retail; and the train to Boston takes over an hour.

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Compare on your terms

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Nearby towns

Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near Ayer.

Ayer appears in

Rankings where Ayer qualifies on the data. See where it lands vs the other 14 picks.

Popular comparisons

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