Compare towns
Amesbury vs Merrimac vs Sutton
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Amesbury has the most people working from home (17.4%).
Merrimac has the most expensive homes ($553k median).
Sutton has the most affordable homes ($363k 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.
| Measure | Amesbury | Merrimac | Sutton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 17,403Highest |
6,748 |
2,239Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | +6.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 43.7±1.7Lowest 12% above U.S. |
49.4±6.8Highest 27% above U.S. |
48.1±4.1 24% above U.S. |
| Merrimac and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20%±2.4 U.S.: 22% |
16.5%±6.2Lowest U.S.: 22% |
20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Sutton and Amesbury 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% |
26.7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
21.6%±5.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Merrimac and Sutton 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 U.S.: 35.7% |
41%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
44.3% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±1.3 U.S.: 6.4% |
2.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.9%±3.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Sutton 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±$12kLowest 28% above U.S. |
$123,054±$16k 52% above U.S. |
$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S. |
| Sutton and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $519,300±$32k 56% above U.S. |
$553,400±$38kHighest 66% above U.S. |
$362,600±$16kLowest 9% above U.S. |
| Merrimac and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,683±$115Highest 19% above U.S. |
$1,352±$325Lowest 4% below U.S. |
$1,656±$614 17% above U.S. |
| Amesbury and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $7,360Lowest 136% above U.S. |
$7,399 137% above U.S. |
$7,652Highest 145% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 66.7%±10.7Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
59.3%±29.1 U.S.: 51.1% |
27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Amesbury and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 7.1% U.S.: 12.5% |
9.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 68.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
81.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S. |
1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S. |
1971 9 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 minLowest 10% above U.S. |
32 minHighest 21% above U.S. |
29 min 11% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 17.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
8.5%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
14.8%±5.6 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Amesbury and Sutton 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 | #188 of 282 in MA | — |
| School district | Amesbury | Pentucket | Kearsarge Regional School District |
| High school in town | Amesbury High | None in town | Kearsarge Regional High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.9Highest |
— | 10.4Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.