Compare towns
Amesbury vs Sutton vs Plainville
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 expensive homes ($519k median).
Sutton has the most homeowners (95.7%).
Plainville has the most people working from home (17.9%).
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 | Sutton | Plainville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 17,403Highest |
2,239Lowest |
9,943 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | +7.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+20.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 43.7±1.7 12% above U.S. |
48.1±4.1Highest 24% above U.S. |
43.2±3.6Lowest 11% above U.S. |
| Sutton and Amesbury 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% |
20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22% |
18.3%±4Lowest 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% |
21.6%±5.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
22.2%±3.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Plainville 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% |
44.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
44.4% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.9%±3.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.3%±2.1 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Sutton and Plainville 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. |
$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S. |
$104,106±$13k 29% above U.S. |
| Sutton and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $519,300±$32kHighest 56% above U.S. |
$362,600±$16kLowest 9% above U.S. |
$476,000±$35k 43% above U.S. |
| Amesbury and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,683±$115 19% above U.S. |
$1,656±$614Lowest 17% above U.S. |
$1,977±$197Highest 40% above U.S. |
| Plainville and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $7,360 136% above U.S. |
$7,652Highest 145% above U.S. |
$5,329Lowest 71% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 66.7%±10.7Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
53.8%±13.6 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Amesbury and Plainville 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% |
4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
7.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 68.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
70.4% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S. |
1971 9 yrs older than U.S. |
1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 minLowest 10% above U.S. |
29 minHighest 11% above U.S. |
29 minLowest 10% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 17.4%±2.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
14.8%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
17.9%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Plainville and Amesbury 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 | — | #102 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Amesbury | Kearsarge Regional School District | Plainville |
| High school in town | Amesbury High | Kearsarge Regional High School | None in town |
| 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.