Ashburnham Branch in South Ashburnham postcard, c. 1907
South Ashburnham’s story
136 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1907.
- 1890South Ashburnham is settled
South AshburnhamMA
A town of 1,500, settled in 1890.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,500
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$370K
Census ACS
Household income
$126K
median
Median age
38.1
years
Jobs based here
432
Balanced
Is South Ashburnham a good place to live?
Among 284 Massachusetts towns, just one has a lower share of working residents who work in town than South Ashburnham. South Ashburnham’s July high is 80°F, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 83°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. 22% of the land in South Ashburnham is conserved, against 19% in Massachusetts’ towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Old County Road Conservation Area, at 122 acres. We don’t grade South Ashburnham yet; the figures below are still real.
Getting set up
Moving to South Ashburnham: who provides what
South Ashburnham is unincorporated, so Worcester County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerTown of AshburnhamEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterAshburnham Water DepartmentNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesWorcester CountyWorcester County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Massachusetts you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereAshburnham Town ClerkTown of Ashburnham; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code0143001430 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in South Ashburnham.
Natural hazards
Low risk in South Ashburnham, with inland flooding at the top
Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 77% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in South Ashburnham break down as 58% from inland flooding and 17% from hurricanes.
23risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Outdoors
Protected land: 21.8% of South Ashburnham
In South Ashburnham, the concentration of trails is 0.6 miles per square mile. 1.7 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves.
21.8%conserved
21.8%
conserved · 415 of 1,905 acres
1.7 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Old County Road Conservation Area | 0.4 mi | 122 |
| 2. High Ridge Wildlife Management Area | — | 84 |
| 3. Lake Wampanoag Wildlife Sanctuary | — | 56 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
South Ashburnham has snowy winters and pleasant summers
July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 14° and about 75 inches of snow falls in a winter.
75″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter17–35°
Spring33–55°
Summer56–78°
Fall39–59°
Oct 13
typical first frost
May 2
typical last frost
+1.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
Most of South Ashburnham’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.8 jobs for each of them
Half of commuters travel less than 19 miles. Jobs in South Ashburnham grew by 59 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 432. For most workers, South Ashburnham is a place to come home to: only 3% work in town. In South Ashburnham, the median household income is $126,000.
3%work in town
| South Ashburnham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $126,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 6% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In South Ashburnham3%
Ashburnham8%
Fitchburg8%
Gardner8%
Worcester6%
19 mi
median commute distance
432
jobs based in South Ashburnham
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Health
How healthy South Ashburnham is
For adults in South Ashburnham, the share who have been diagnosed with depression is 27%. This Massachusetts town beats the Massachusetts average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. In South Ashburnham, 33% of adults have obesity, and 21% get no exercise outside work.
| South Ashburnham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 28% | 35% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 3.6% | 3.7% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Massachusetts
2 better28 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | South Ashburnham | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| More adults seeing a dentist | 72.8% | 69.8% |
| More adults with obesity | 32.8% | 27.7% |
Heywood Hospital
3.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
A home in South Ashburnham sells for about $600K at the median
Among households in South Ashburnham, 92% live in a home they own.
$600Kmedian sale price
2
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 231 attractions →Mount Monadnock and 69 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Ashburnham. Close and well known come first.
19 mi MountainMount Monadnock
33 mi LakeWalden Pond
26 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
26 mi Stadium & arenaDCU Center
27 mi MuseumAmerican Heritage Museum
37 mi Theme parkCanobie Lake ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Mount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · DCU Center: Terageorge, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Heritage Museum: Daderot, CC0 · Canobie Lake Park: Alex1961, CC BY-SA 2.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about South Ashburnham
16pages on South Ashburnham
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of South Ashburnham
Mount Wachusett Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Gardner2.8 mi$6,160 in-state tuitionFitchburg State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Fitchburg8.1 mi$11,346 in-state tuitionFranklin Pierce UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Rindge, NH12.4 mi$46,442 tuition
About 7 of every 100 South Ashburnham residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Massachusetts.
About South Ashburnham
CDP in Massachusetts, United States
South Ashburnham is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Ashburnham in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, South Ashburnham had a population of 1,136.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 965 ft
- Area code
- 978
South Ashburnham’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with South Ashburnham.
AshburnhamGardnerSouth Ashburnham
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Ashburnham | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ashburnham | #154 | B | C− | A− | B | B+ |
| Gardner | #250 | C− | C+ | B− | C− | C |
South Ashburnham isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare South Ashburnham with a neighbor →
Questions about South Ashburnham
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is South Ashburnham, MA a good place to live?
We don’t grade South Ashburnham yet; the figures below are still real.