What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

York has the most people working from home (26%).

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	York
People
Population	17,403Highest	13,986Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+9.5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±1.7Lowest 12% above U.S.	49.5±5.2Highest 27% above U.S.
	York 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 U.S.: 22%	21.1%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	York 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%	27.9%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	53.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.5%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Amesbury and York 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.	$121,250±$25kHighest 50% above U.S.
	York 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 56% above U.S.	$636,400±$30kHighest 91% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,683±$115Highest 19% above U.S.	$1,490±$336Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Amesbury and York are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,360Highest 136% above U.S.	$4,658Lowest 49% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±10.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	56.5%±10.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Amesbury and York are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.	24 minLowest 11% below U.S.
Work from home	17.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	26%±3.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#151 of 282 in MA	#13 of 133 in ME
School district	Amesbury	York Public Schools
High school in town	Amesbury High	York High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	9.6Lowest
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.