Shirley (Maine) Town Hall, 2013
Shirley’s story
176 years in pictures
Census counts: 190 in 1840, 251 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2013 and 3 maps from 1951 on.
- 1850Shirley is settled
ShirleyME
A town of 275, settled in 1850.
Population
275
2025 Census estimate · +8.7% since 2020
Median home value
$220K
Census ACS
Household income
$62K
median
Median age
42.0
years
Jobs based here
33
A commuter town
Is Shirley a good place to live?
Of the 144 Maine towns we compare, none has a higher share of households owning their home than Shirley. The biggest park or preserve is Shirley Bog, at 514 acres. Shirley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
275 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
MonsonGreenvilleShirley
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Shirley: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shirley, and how to reach them.
PowerCentral Maine Power27.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet5 providers91% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Shirley’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Maine you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereShirley Town ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2026
ZIP code0448504485 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Shirley.
Work & commute
Shirley has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Shirley for work: only 4% work in town. 17% of Shirley residents live below the poverty line, above both Maine’s towns (9%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Shirley’s average trip to work is 21 minutes.
4%work in town
| Shirley | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.8% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Shirley4%
Dover-Foxcroft17%
Greenville13%
Bangor10%
Monson9%
24 mi
median commute distance
33
jobs based in Shirley
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
Fewer young adults than Maine overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 11% of residents (20% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 46% of residents (40% statewide). Shirley has grown 8.7% since 2020, to 275 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Maine.
42median age · ME 44.8
| Shirley | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 42 years | 44.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 32% | 29% |
ShirleyMaineUnited States
Ages · share of residents
25%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school36%
Some college17%
Associate’s13%
Bachelor’s20%
Graduate10%
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.8 points. Across Maine, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Shirley | ME | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9% | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.3% | 8.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.3% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.8% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 24.8% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.7% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.7% | 15.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15% | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.5% | 8.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.2% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36% | 30.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.2% | 18.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.9% | 10.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.4% | 22.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.2% | 13.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
A typical July afternoon in Shirley is cooler than in most of Maine or the rest of the country
Shirley’s July high is 75°F, below both the Maine town median (79°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F). Shirley has cold, snowy winters and cool summers.
98″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter8–26°
Spring27–48°
Summer52–73°
Fall35–53°
Oct 9
typical first frost
May 7
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Shirley is
Shirley beats the Maine average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 17% of Shirley adults report frequent physical distress. Among 144 Maine towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Shirley.
| Shirley | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Maine
0 better22 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | Shirley | ME |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22% | 14.8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10.3% | 7.6% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.8% | 3.6% |
Northern Light Mayo Hospital
22.5 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Shirley faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by cold waves
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities.
51risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingHurricanes
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Outdoors
Conserved land covers 0% of Shirley
46 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Shirley is 0.9 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 11 of 34,417 acres
46 mi
of trails · 0.9 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Shirley Bog | — | 514 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Shirley
18pages on Shirley
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Shirley; the nearest are
Kennebec Valley Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Fairfield52.8 mi$4,156 in-state tuitionUniversity of Maine at FarmingtonUniversity or college · Public · Farmington54 mi$11,308 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Shirley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Shirley for work
Where Shirley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
33jobs based in Shirley
4%of working residents work in town
24 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Shirley
Town in Maine, United States
Shirley is a town in Piscataquis County, Maine, United States. The town was named after Shirley, Massachusetts. The population was 251 at the 2020 census. It was the birthplace of humorist Bill Nye.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 54 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,047 ft
- Area code
- 207
Questions about Shirley
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Shirley, ME a good place to live?
Shirley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Shirley, ME known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Edgar Wilson Nye and Frank Nye.