What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peterborough has the shortest commute (23 min average).

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	Peterborough	Amesbury
People
Population	6,408Lowest	17,403Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	52.1±1.9Highest 34% above U.S.	43.7±1.7Lowest 12% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.3%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Amesbury and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.2%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	44.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Amesbury and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,401±$8kLowest 22% above U.S.	$103,554±$12kHighest 28% above U.S.
	Amesbury and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$404,500±$31kLowest 22% above U.S.	$519,300±$32kHighest 56% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,395±$209Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,683±$115Highest 19% above U.S.
	Amesbury and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,655Highest 177% above U.S.	$7,360Lowest 136% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	66.7%±10.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	68.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below U.S.	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	15.8%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Amesbury and Peterborough 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	#59 of 120 in NH	#151 of 282 in MA
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Amesbury
High school in town	Conval Regional High School	Amesbury High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Highest	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.