What stands out worked out from the figures below

Amesbury has the most kids (20% under 18).

Hatfield has the shortest commute (20 min average).

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	Hatfield
People
Population	17,403Highest	3,325Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.2% MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±1.7Lowest 9% above MA	46.8±5Highest 17% above MA
	Hatfield 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 MA: 19.4%	14%±4.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Amesbury and Hatfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	23.3%±4.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Hatfield and Amesbury 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%	48.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.1%±2.6Highest MA: 7.9%
	Hatfield 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 about the MA average	$89,005±$25kLowest 14% below MA
	Amesbury and Hatfield 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	$440,800±$26kLowest 22% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,683±$115Highest 4% below MA	$1,267±$216Lowest 28% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,360Highest 23% above MA	$4,930Lowest 18% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%	42.6%±11.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	7.1%Lowest MA: 10%	8.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	74.6%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	20 minLowest 30% below MA
Work from home	17.4%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%	16%±6.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Amesbury and Hatfield 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	#198 of 282 in MA
School district	Amesbury	Hatfield
High school in town	Amesbury High	Smith Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	6.1Lowest
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.