Price drops, however, are more in line with the rest of the state -- down 4.5 percent in the county and state so far this year. The median single-family home price in the county was $243,000 as of Sept. 30, compared with $315,000 statewide.

Realtors and others say high prices in the suburbs closer to Boston during the mid-1990s and early 2000s sparked a building frenzy in Worcester County as first-time home buyers looked for cheaper options in towns such as Shrewsbury, Northborough, Southborough, and Westborough.