What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ipswich has the most affordable homes ($745k median).

Newburyport has the most people working from home (28.9%).

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	Ipswich	Newburyport
People
Population	13,930Lowest	18,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.2±3.5Lowest 18% above MA	49.8±2.9Highest 25% above MA
	Newburyport and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.9%±2.7Lowest MA: 19.4%	19.9%±3.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Newburyport and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.9%±2.4Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.4%±2.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Newburyport and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	67%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	3.5%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Ipswich and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$138,750±$16kLowest 33% above MA	$139,625±$21kHighest 34% above MA
	Newburyport and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$745,400±$40kLowest 33% above MA	$834,000±$37kHighest 48% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,598±$90Highest 9% below MA	$1,592±$221Lowest 10% below MA
	Ipswich and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,960Highest 33% above MA	$7,944Lowest 33% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.5%±12.2Highest MA: 51.8%	46.4%±9.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Ipswich and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Highest MA: 10%	5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	77.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Highest same as MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	32 minHighest 8% above MA
Work from home	18.9%±3.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	28.9%±4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#101 of 282 in MA	#56 of 282 in MA
School district	Ipswich	Newburyport
High school in town	Ipswich High	Newburyport High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	10.3Highest
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.