What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Bolton has the most people working from home (40.5%).

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	Bolton
People
Population	17,403Highest	5,737Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+15.7% MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±1.7Highest 9% above MA	41.2±1.7Lowest 3% above MA
	Amesbury and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	25%±3.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Bolton and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2.1Highest MA: 17.9%	15.7%±3.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Amesbury and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	3.6%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Amesbury and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,554±$12kLowest about the MA average	$205,449±$31kHighest 98% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$519,300±$32kLowest 8% below MA	$796,000±$49kHighest 42% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,683±$115Highest 4% below MA	$1,583±$1kLowest 10% below MA
	Amesbury and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,360Lowest 23% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%	12.7%±45.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Amesbury and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Highest MA: 10%	2.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	94.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 5 yrs newer than MA	1988Highest 24 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	37 minHighest 26% above MA
Work from home	17.4%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	40.5%±6.9Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#151 of 282 in MA	#28 of 282 in MA
School district	Amesbury	Nashoba
High school in town	Amesbury High	Nashoba Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	12.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

MA 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.