What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dalton has the most affordable homes ($296k median).

Newburyport has the most expensive homes ($834k 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	Dalton	Newburyport
People
Population	6,256Lowest	18,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±5.8Lowest 24% above MA	49.8±2.9Highest 25% above MA
	Newburyport and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%	19.9%±3.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Dalton and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.9%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%	24.4%±2.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Dalton and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	67%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.5%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Newburyport and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$79,438±$8kLowest 24% below MA	$139,625±$21kHighest 34% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$295,700±$26kLowest 47% below MA	$834,000±$37kHighest 48% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$872±$70Lowest 51% below MA	$1,592±$221Highest 10% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,276Lowest 29% below MA	$7,944Highest 33% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.2%±19Lowest MA: 51.8%	46.4%±9.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Newburyport and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Highest MA: 10%	5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	77.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Highest 7 yrs older than MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 24% below MA	32 minHighest 8% above MA
Work from home	12.5%±7.1Lowest MA: 18.6%	28.9%±4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#192 of 282 in MA	#56 of 282 in MA
School district	Central Berkshire	Newburyport
High school in town	Wahconah Regional High	Newburyport High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	10.3Lowest
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.