| Official Name: | Ayer, Massachusetts |
| Settlement Type: | Census-designated place |
| Pushpin Label: | Ayer |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Massachusetts |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Middlesex |
| Subdivision Type3: | Town |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 3.60 |
| Area Land Km2: | 3.43 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.16 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1.39 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1.33 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.06 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 2986 |
| Population Density Km2: | 869.31 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 2251.89 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 73 |
| Elevation Ft: | 240 |
| Coordinates: | 42.56°N -71.5853°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 01432 |
| Area Code: | 978 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 25-03040 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0611084 |
Ayer is a census-designated place (CDP) and the primary settlement in the town of Ayer in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population of the CDP was 2,986 at the 2020 census,[2] out of 8,479 in the entire town.
Ayer is located in northwestern Middlesex County at (42.560033, -71.585321).[3] The CDP occupies the center of the town of Ayer and is bordered to the west by the Devens CDP.
Massachusetts Routes 2A and 111 pass through the village as Park Street and East Main Street. MA 2A leads west to Fitchburg and east 5miles to Littleton, while MA 111 leads north 4miles to Groton and south 8miles to Boxborough.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Ayer CDP has a total area of, of which 1.33sqmi are land and 0.06sqmi, or 4.54%, are water.[1] Grove Pond and Plow Shop Pond lie along the southern edge of the CDP, draining west toward the Nashua River, part of the Merrimack River watershed.
See also: List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income. As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 2,960 people, 1,258 households, and 680 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 929.2/km (2,397.9/mi2). There were 1,369 housing units at an average density of 429.7/km (1,109.0/mi2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.31% White, 4.93% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 2.64% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 1.08% from other races, and 2.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.11% of the population.
There were 1,258 households, out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.9% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 35.0% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $41,808, and the median income for a family was $55,375. Males had a median income of $39,879 versus $32,083 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $23,574. About 5.2% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.