What stands out worked out from the figures below

Amesbury has the most expensive homes ($519k median).

Bath has the most affordable homes ($311k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Amesbury	Bath
People
Population	17,403Highest	8,815Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±1.7Lowest 12% above U.S.	45.4±3Highest 17% above U.S.
	Bath and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	15.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Amesbury and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	42.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.5%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bath and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,554±$12kHighest 28% above U.S.	$69,390±$12kLowest 14% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$519,300±$32kHighest 56% above U.S.	$310,900±$30kLowest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,683±$115Highest 19% above U.S.	$1,044±$116Lowest 26% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,360Highest 136% above U.S.	$3,847Lowest 23% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±10.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	51.3%±15.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Amesbury and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	64.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Highest 11 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	17.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.3%±6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bath and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#151 of 282 in MA	#31 of 133 in ME
School district	Amesbury	RSU 01 - LKRSU
High school in town	Amesbury High	Morse High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	14.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.