CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

42.62° N · 71.94° W · GEOID 2562780

South Ashburnham

Worcester County, Massachusetts · part of the Worcester, MA metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_gross_rent

MassachusettsSouth Ashburnham, MASouth AshburnhamSouth Ashburnham

The short answer

South Ashburnham is home to 1,500 people. Median household income is $126,071 a year and median rent is $1,426 a month, 13.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $370,300, about 2.9x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,426
4% above the median place
Median household income
$126,071
57% above the median place
Median home value
$370,300
16% above the median place
Unemployment
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about South Ashburnham

  • 100% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 99% of the 2,214 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 120 Massachusetts places.
  • Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 105 Massachusetts places.
  • 92% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 92% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 122 Massachusetts places.
  • Households average 3.01 people, larger than in 88% of places its size. It is the highest of 122 Massachusetts places.
  • The median rent takes only 13.6% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 90% of places its size.

High pay has not made renting easy. Household income is higher than in 85% of places we track, yet 100% of renters still spend 30% or more of income on rent.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 94 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to South Ashburnham

Worcester County loses about 2.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in25,054
Moved out26,770
Net−1,716

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Massachusetts, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within MassachusettsOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$78K
Leavers$84K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Worcester County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
0.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Worcester County report $77,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $84,000, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$57,000 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,426 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,308 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $370,300.
Getting to work
29 minutes each way on average; 15.6% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Kennedale, TX matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
0.0%
below the median place (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving out6
$83,976
19% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSouth AshburnhamAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year10.0%below (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure-2.5317% below
Income of households moving in6County figure$77,73710% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$83,97619% above
02

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 0.0%, below the median place (median 7.1%).

South Ashburnham13.6%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$57,040
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
13.6%
33% below the median place
Home price to income
2.9x
23% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
14%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$108,500
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in South Ashburnham, $1,426 a month, and local prices for everything else (100.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in South Ashburnham.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to South Ashburnham? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
0.0%
below the median place (median 7.1%)
Renters paying 30%+1
100.0%
98% above the median place
Homeownership1
91.8%
38% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureSouth AshburnhamAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$1,4264% above
Rent to income113.6%33% below
Property tax rate11.3%45% above
Home price to income12.9x23% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure102.52% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,04327% above
Property tax paid (median)1$4,89650% above
Median home value1$370,30016% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure3.4%5% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure54.6%6% above
Homeownership191.8%38% above
Renters paying 30%+1100.0%98% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,30823% above
Vacant homes10.0%below (median 7.1%)
Median year built119601% below
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 0.0%, below the median place (median 4.9%).

Unemployment1
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Median household income1
$126,071
57% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSouth AshburnhamAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$126,07157% above
Income per person1$42,8167% above
Unemployment10.0%below (median 4.9%)
Average annual pay5County figure$74,03712% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure3.3%11% below
Jobs5County figure356,384137% above
Poverty rate1County figure10.3%4% below
Mean commute129 min14% above
Works from home1County figure15.6%25% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 0.0%, below the median place (median 6.4%).

No health insurance1
0.0%
below the median place (median 6.4%)
Homes with broadband1
100.0%
8% above the median place
Household size1
3.0
20% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Bachelor's or higher27.3% −15%
Median age38.1 −2%
High school or higher92.1% −0%
All 8 people measures
MeasureSouth AshburnhamAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,5006646th largest
Median age138.12% below
Bachelor's or higher127.3%15% below
High school or higher192.1%0% below
Household size13.020% above
Born abroad1County figure14.6%65% above
No health insurance10.0%below (median 6.4%)
Homes with broadband1100.0%8% above
05

Life in South Ashburnham

698 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 7 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents13.3 +31%
Playgrounds per 10k40.0 4.3×
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k6.7 −40%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars20.1 −3%
Shops27.7 −9%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.5 −15%
Doctors' offices and clinics16.3 −19%
Child care centers2.7 +17%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools10
256
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students10
121,490
above the median place (median 4,897)
Students per teacher10
12.9
16% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureSouth AshburnhamAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure256above (median 9)
Public school students10County figure121,490above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher10County figure12.916% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure20.13% below
Shops per 10k7County figure27.79% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure3.515% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure16.319% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure2.717% above
Parks per 10k813.331% above
Playgrounds per 10k840.0325% above
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k86.740% below
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi80.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings9County figure698above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

January average low is 16°F, 38% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached South Ashburnham. Larger places are fetched first.

January average low11
16°F
38% below the median place
July average high11
82°F
6% below the median place
Hurricane risk12
96.6
37% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureSouth AshburnhamAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure82°F6% below
January average low11County figure16°F38% below
Average temperature11County figure48°F13% below
Annual precipitation11County figure49.0 in12% above
Natural hazard risk12County figure93.51% above
Hurricane risk12County figure96.637% above
Tornado risk12County figure82.21% above
Wildfire risk12County figure62.62% above
Heat wave risk12County figure90.00% below
Median air quality index13County figure399% below
Good air days13County figure81.6%19% above
08

South Ashburnham in 2030: where the trends point

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$126,071 (2024)$162,500$137,000 to $192,000+4.3%
Median home value$370,300 (2024)$557,000$404,000 to $767,000+7.0%

The median home would be worth 3.4 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.9 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like South Ashburnham

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Kennedale, TX$1,554$118,794Compare
Rendon, TX$1,354$117,888Compare
Hidden Valley, IN$1,380$121,208Compare
Belle Chasse, LA$1,485$115,012Compare
Belle Chasse, LAHidden Valley, INRendon, TXKennedale, TXSouth Ashburnham, MASouth AshburnhamKennedaleRendonHidden ValleyBelle ChasseSouth AshburnhamKennedaleRendonHidden ValleyBelle Chasse

Common questions

Is South Ashburnham a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 100% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 99% of the 2,214 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 120 Massachusetts places. Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 105 Massachusetts places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is South Ashburnham expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 13.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $370,300.

What salary do you need to live in South Ashburnham?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $57,040 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to South Ashburnham?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Kennedale, TX, Rendon, TX, Hidden Valley, IN and Belle Chasse, LA.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares South Ashburnham with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for South Ashburnham itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/south-ashburnham-massachusetts

Citytistics. “South Ashburnham, Massachusetts.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/south-ashburnham-massachusetts/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.