What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Oxford has the most affordable homes ($375k 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	Oxford
People
Population	17,403Highest	13,385Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-2.6% MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±1.7Highest 9% above MA	42±2.8Lowest 5% above MA
	Amesbury and Oxford 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%	21.3%±3.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Oxford 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%	16.6%±2.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Amesbury and Oxford 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%	29.6%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.7%±2.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Oxford 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 about the MA average	$103,862±$10kHighest about the MA average
	Oxford and Amesbury 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	$374,900±$18kLowest 33% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,683±$115Highest 4% below MA	$1,177±$142Lowest 33% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,360Highest 23% above MA	$4,622Lowest 23% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%	57.8%±15.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Amesbury and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Lowest MA: 10%	7.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	82.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 5 yrs newer than MA	1972Highest 8 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest about the MA average	28 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	17.4%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%	16.4%±4.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Amesbury and Oxford 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	#245 of 282 in MA
School district	Amesbury	Oxford
High school in town	Amesbury High	Oxford High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	10.3Lowest
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.