Cheshire, Massachusetts

Community in Berkshire County · population 545 (2020 Census)

Jan low / Jul high: 14° / 81°
Snow a year: 75 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 7
Median age: 60.2

Cheshire is a community of 545 people in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It ranks better for first-time buyers than 97% of Massachusetts towns, easier by car than 96% of Massachusetts towns, quieter than 92% of Massachusetts towns.

Cheshire in our rankings:

How Cheshire ranks

Percentile among Massachusetts towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Massachusetts towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

Median rent is $647 a month. 76.3% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Massachusetts towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Cheshire	Typical Massachusetts town
Median home value	—	$510,150
Median rent	$647	$1,561
Median household income	—	$108,622
Home value ÷ income	—×	4.5×
Homeownership	76.3%	80.7%
Median year built	1938	1968
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Cheshire

People	Cheshire	Typical Massachusetts town
Median age	60.2	44.8
Age 65 and over	33.8%	20.7%
Under 18	13.6%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.4%	45.7%
Below the poverty line	17.8%	6.3%
Veterans	5.2%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.0%	—
Work from home	0.0%	17.7%
Average commute	27.2 min	30.1 min
Homes with broadband	65.3%	93.9%

Weather in Cheshire

July highs average 80.9°F and January lows 14.3°F. About 42.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 75.3 inches of snow (typical Massachusetts town: 49.5 in). Expect about 4 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 149 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the North Adams Harriman Ap station (9.3 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

7 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Cheshire since 1950, compared with 8 for the typical Massachusetts town. 2 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on July 13, 1975 about 5.6 miles from the town center. The most recent was on July 27, 2014.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 27 times; the largest was 2.00 inches on June 1, 2011.

Severe weather in Berkshire County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Berkshire County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 3 deaths recorded.

Berkshire County has been included in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, hurricane, snowstorm.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
September 15, 2023	Hurricane	EM-3599: Hurricane Lee
March 27, 2020	Biological	DR-4496: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3438: Covid-19
April 19, 2013	Severe Storm	DR-4110: Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding
October 28, 2012	Hurricane	EM-3350: Hurricane Sandy

Jobs and pay in Berkshire County

Berkshire County had 57,946 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $62,257 a year. Unemployment was 3.6% in 2023; in Cheshire itself the ACS puts it at 0%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Cheshire

Cheshire, MA
0.7 mi · 3,258 people · home $268,200
Lanesborough, MA
4.4 mi · 3,038 people · home $299,400
Adams, MA
4.9 mi · 8,166 people · home $209,900
Adams, MA
5.2 mi · 5,466 people · home $197,400
Dalton, MA
5.6 mi · 6,330 people · home $295,700
Windsor, MA
6.4 mi · 831 people · home $389,700
Savoy, MA
7.5 mi · 645 people · home $285,200
Hancock, MA
8.1 mi · 757 people · home $375,500

Cheshire questions

Is Cheshire, Massachusetts a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Cheshire scores better for retirees than 74% of Massachusetts towns and quieter than 92%. 33.8% of residents are 65 or older (median age 60.2).

What is the weather like in Cheshire?

July highs average 80.9°F and January lows 14.3°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 42.3 inches of precipitation a year and 75.3 inches of snow.

Does Cheshire get tornadoes?

7 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Cheshire since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on July 13, 1975. The typical Massachusetts town has had 8.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Cheshire's Census boundary (GEOID 2513310). Comparisons use the median of Massachusetts towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.