What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Amesbury has the most affordable 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	Newburyport	Amesbury
People
Population	18,652Highest	17,403Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5% MA: +7.4%	—
Median age	49.8±2.9Highest 25% above MA	43.7±1.7Lowest 9% above MA
Kids under 18	19.9%±3.5Lowest MA: 19.4%	20%±2.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Amesbury and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.4%±2.7Highest MA: 17.9%	18.2%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	67%Highest MA: 47.3%	44.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Amesbury and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$139,625±$21kHighest 34% above MA	$103,554±$12kLowest about the MA average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$834,000±$37kHighest 48% above MA	$519,300±$32kLowest 8% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,592±$221Lowest 10% below MA	$1,683±$115Highest 4% below MA
	Amesbury and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,944Highest 33% above MA	$7,360Lowest 23% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.4%±9.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	66.7%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Amesbury and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5%Lowest MA: 10%	7.1%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.5%Highest MA: 62.5%	68.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA	1969Highest 5 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 8% above MA	29 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	28.9%±4Highest MA: 18.6%	17.4%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#56 of 282 in MA	#151 of 282 in MA
School district	Newburyport	Amesbury
High school in town	Newburyport High	Amesbury High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	10.9Highest
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.