What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Rochester has the most homeowners (88.1%).

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	Rochester
People
Population	17,403Highest	5,837Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+9.3% MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±1.7Lowest 9% above MA	46.5±6Highest 16% above MA
	Rochester and Amesbury 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%	20.1%±4.6Highest MA: 19.4%
	Rochester 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 MA: 17.9%	20.1%±4.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Rochester 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 MA: 47.3%	43.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Amesbury and Rochester 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	$120,273±$12kHighest 16% above MA
	Rochester 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±$32kLowest 8% below MA	$599,100±$31kHighest 7% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,683±$115Highest 4% below MA	$1,432±$743Lowest 19% below MA
	Amesbury and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,360Highest 23% above MA	$6,530Lowest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%	39.1%±10.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	7.1%Highest MA: 10%	5.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	88.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 5 yrs newer than MA	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	37 minHighest 25% above MA
Work from home	17.4%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%	8.3%±3.7Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#151 of 282 in MA	#104 of 282 in MA
School district	Amesbury	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical · Rochester
High school in town	Amesbury High	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	9.1Lowest
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.