What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pittsfield has the most affordable homes ($257k median).

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	Pittsfield	Amesbury
People
Population	43,457Highest	17,403Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.8% MA: +7.4%	—
Median age	42.4±2Lowest 6% above MA	43.7±1.7Highest 9% above MA
	Amesbury and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±1.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	20%±2.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Amesbury and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±1.5Highest MA: 17.9%	18.2%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Pittsfield and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	44.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Pittsfield and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,582±$5kLowest 32% below MA	$103,554±$12kHighest about the MA average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$256,900±$8kLowest 54% below MA	$519,300±$32kHighest 8% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,134±$61Lowest 36% below MA	$1,683±$115Highest 4% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,148Lowest 31% below MA	$7,360Highest 23% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±5.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	66.7%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Amesbury and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.9%Highest MA: 10%	7.1%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	68.6%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 14 yrs older than MA	1969Highest 5 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 36% below MA	29 minHighest about the MA average
Work from home	10.2%±2.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	17.4%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#251 of 282 in MA	#151 of 282 in MA
School district	Pittsfield	Amesbury
High school in town	Taconic High	Amesbury High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3Lowest	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.