What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stoneham has the most people working from home (24.6%).

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	Stoneham
People
Population	17,403Lowest	23,355Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.4% MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±1.7Highest 9% above MA	42.2±2.2Lowest 6% above MA
	Amesbury and Stoneham 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%	20.8%±2.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Stoneham 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%	20.4%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Stoneham 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%	55.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
	Stoneham 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	$113,964±$10kHighest 10% above MA
	Stoneham 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	$671,900±$26kHighest 20% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,683±$115Lowest 4% below MA	$2,035±$142Highest 15% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,360Highest 23% above MA	$6,523Lowest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%	41.9%±8.2Lowest 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%	71%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Highest 5 yrs newer than MA	1964Lowest same as MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest about the MA average	28 minLowest 4% below MA
Work from home	17.4%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#151 of 282 in MA	#117 of 282 in MA
School district	Amesbury	Stoneham
High school in town	Amesbury High	Stoneham High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	10.7Lowest
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.