What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bath has the most affordable homes ($311k 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	Bath	Amesbury
People
Population	8,815Lowest	17,403Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	45.4±3Highest 17% above U.S.	43.7±1.7Lowest 12% above U.S.
	Bath and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Amesbury and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.2%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	44.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bath and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,390±$12kLowest 14% below U.S.	$103,554±$12kHighest 28% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$310,900±$30kLowest 7% below U.S.	$519,300±$32kHighest 56% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,044±$116Lowest 26% below U.S.	$1,683±$115Highest 19% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,847Lowest 23% above U.S.	$7,360Highest 136% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.3%±15.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	66.7%±10.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Amesbury and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	68.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1969Highest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	19.3%±6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bath 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	#31 of 133 in ME	#151 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 01 - LKRSU	Amesbury
High school in town	Morse High School	Amesbury High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.8Highest	10.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.