What stands out worked out from the figures below

Auburn has the most affordable homes ($400k median).

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

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	Auburn	Amesbury
People
Population	16,970Lowest	17,403Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.3% MA: +7.4%	—
Median age	44.8±1.6Highest 12% above MA	43.7±1.7Lowest 9% above MA
	Auburn and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%	20%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Auburn and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%	18.2%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Auburn and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.4%Highest MA: 47.3%	44.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Auburn and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$116,711±$10kHighest 12% above MA	$103,554±$12kLowest about the MA average
	Auburn and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$400,000±$16kLowest 29% below MA	$519,300±$32kHighest 8% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,467±$155Lowest 17% below MA	$1,683±$115Highest 4% below MA
	Amesbury and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,289Lowest 12% below MA	$7,360Highest 23% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±10.5Lowest MA: 51.8%	66.7%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Amesbury and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest MA: 10%	7.1%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	68.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA	1969Highest 5 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 12% below MA	29 minHighest about the MA average
Work from home	14.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	17.4%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Amesbury and Auburn 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	#106 of 282 in MA	#151 of 282 in MA
School district	Auburn	Amesbury
High school in town	Auburn Senior High	Amesbury High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	10.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.