What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newburyport has the most renters (22.5% rent).

West Newbury has the highest household income ($180k).

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	West Newbury
People
Population	18,652Highest	4,591Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.8±2.9Highest 25% above MA	49.5±3Lowest 24% above MA
	Newburyport and West Newbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±3.5Highest MA: 19.4%	19.6%±3.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Newburyport and West Newbury 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%	21.3%±4.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Newburyport and West Newbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	67%Highest MA: 47.3%	64.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.9%±1.8Highest MA: 7.9%
	West Newbury 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±$21kLowest 34% above MA	$179,500±$27kHighest 73% above MA
	West Newbury and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$834,000±$37kHighest 48% above MA	$808,200±$47kLowest 44% above MA
	Newburyport and West Newbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,592±$221Lowest 10% below MA	$1,675±$674Highest 5% below MA
	West Newbury and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,944Lowest 33% above MA	$9,240Highest 54% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.4%±9.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	80.4%±100Highest MA: 51.8%
	West Newbury and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5%Highest MA: 10%	1.6%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	95.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA	1983Highest 19 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 8% above MA	31 minLowest 8% above MA
Work from home	28.9%±4Highest MA: 18.6%	24.5%±6.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Newburyport and West Newbury 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	#56 of 282 in MA	#86 of 282 in MA
School district	Newburyport	Pentucket
High school in town	Newburyport High	Pentucket Regional Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	11.6Highest
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.