Study reveals Berkshire County and western Massachusetts have long way to go toward solving housing crisis
The organization published multiple key findings from the study:
- Between January 2021 and October 2024, rents in Berkshire County increased by 35 percent.
- The population of Berkshire County is expected to decline six percent from 2020 to 2035.
- According to 2023 data from short-term rental data analytics website AirDNA, over 2,700 short-term rental units were active in western Massachusetts, with two-thirds of the rental listings located in Berkshire County. The report states that this may be limiting the number of long-term housing units available to residents and may be putting pressure on the year-round housing supply in Berkshire County.
- According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, homeowner vacancy in Berkshire County has dropped from 1.6 percent in 2018 to 0.7 percent in 2023, which indicates that housing supply has not kept up with demand.
- According to data from Peabody-based real estate data company The Warren Group, the median sale price of single-family homes and condominiums in Berkshire County, when adjusted to 2024 dollars, has gone up from $225,260 in 2014 to $318,000 in 2024;
- According to state trial court data, the number of evictions executed in Berkshire County grew from 88 in 2021 to 185 in 2023. In western Massachusetts, the number of evictions executed grew from 438 in 2021 to 1,370 in 2023;
- According to the report, the western region of Massachusetts needs at least 23,000 new housing units to keep up with the current demand for housing, but even more may be needed in order to stem population loss in the area.
Read article: Study reveals Berkshire County and western Massachusetts have long way to go toward solving housing crisis
October 15, 2025
