What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wakefield 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	Wakefield
People
Population	17,403Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.7% MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±1.7Highest 9% above MA	42.4±1.7Lowest 6% above MA
	Amesbury and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20%±2.4 MA: 19.4%	20%±2.2 MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	18.2%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	19%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9%
	Wakefield 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%	59.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%
	Wakefield 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	$134,306±$14kHighest 29% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$519,300±$32kLowest 8% below MA	$723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,683±$115Lowest 4% below MA	$1,958±$102Highest 11% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,360Lowest 23% above MA	$7,779Highest 30% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%	43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	7.1%Highest MA: 10%	4.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Highest 5 yrs newer than MA	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	33 minHighest 14% above MA
Work from home	17.4%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#151 of 282 in MA	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Amesbury	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Amesbury High	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
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.