What stands out worked out from the figures below

Topsham has the most affordable homes ($361k 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	Topsham	Amesbury
People
Population	9,706Lowest	17,403Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	44.7±4Highest 15% above U.S.	43.7±1.7Lowest 12% above U.S.
	Topsham and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Amesbury and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.4%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.2%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	44.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Topsham and Amesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,028±$10kLowest 13% above U.S.	$103,554±$12kHighest 28% above U.S.
	Amesbury and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$360,800±$20kLowest 8% above U.S.	$519,300±$32kHighest 56% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,355±$642Lowest 4% below U.S.	$1,683±$115Highest 19% above U.S.
	Amesbury and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,259Lowest 37% above U.S.	$7,360Highest 136% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.3%±12.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	66.7%±10.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	68.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 11% below U.S.	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	17.2%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Amesbury and Topsham 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	#66 of 133 in ME	#151 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 75/MSAD 75	Amesbury
High school in town	Mt Ararat High School	Amesbury High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.2Highest	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.