What stands out worked out from the figures below

Amesbury has the most people working from home (17.4%).

Dudley has the most affordable homes ($393k 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	Dudley
People
Population	17,403Highest	11,929Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4.7% MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±1.7Highest 9% above MA	40.2±2.4Lowest about the MA average
	Amesbury and Dudley 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%	20.6%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dudley 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%	16.9%±3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Amesbury and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.8%Highest MA: 47.3%	24.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,554±$12kHighest about the MA average	$84,604±$12kLowest 19% below MA
	Amesbury and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$519,300±$32kHighest 8% below MA	$392,600±$19kLowest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,683±$115Highest 4% below MA	$1,217±$182Lowest 31% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,360Highest 23% above MA	$3,691Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%	47.4%±4.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	7.1%Highest MA: 10%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	73.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Highest 5 yrs newer than MA	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest about the MA average	27 minLowest 6% below MA
Work from home	17.4%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%	9.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#151 of 282 in MA	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Amesbury	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Amesbury High	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	14.3Highest
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.