What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Putnam has the most affordable homes ($269k 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	Putnam
People
Population	17,403Highest	9,292Lowest
Median age	43.7±1.7 12% above U.S.	43.7±3 12% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Amesbury and Putnam 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%	18.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Putnam 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%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Amesbury and Putnam 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 28% above U.S.	$70,561±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$519,300±$32kHighest 56% above U.S.	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,683±$115Highest 19% above U.S.	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,360Highest 136% above U.S.	$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±10.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Highest 11 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	17.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#151 of 282 in MA	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Amesbury	Putnam School District
High school in town	Amesbury High	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	9.5Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.