What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Haverhill has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.3%).

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	West Newbury	Haverhill
People
Population	4,591Lowest	67,698Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.5±3Highest 24% above MA	39.4±1.1Lowest about the MA average
Kids under 18	19.6%±3.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.3%±1.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Haverhill and West Newbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.3%±4.1Highest MA: 17.9%	15.5%±1.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	64.8%Highest MA: 47.3%	32.6%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.5%±0.6Highest MA: 7.9%
	Haverhill and West Newbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$179,500±$27kHighest 73% above MA	$88,326±$4kLowest 15% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$808,200±$47kHighest 44% above MA	$453,900±$9kLowest 19% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,675±$674Highest 5% below MA	$1,668±$49Lowest 5% below MA
	West Newbury and Haverhill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,240Highest 54% above MA	$4,772Lowest 20% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	80.4%±100Highest MA: 51.8%	60.2%±5.3Lowest MA: 51.8%
	West Newbury and Haverhill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.6%Lowest MA: 10%	11.3%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	62.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 19 yrs newer than MA	1964Lowest same as MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 8% above MA	27 minLowest 6% below MA
Work from home	24.5%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±1.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#86 of 282 in MA	#243 of 282 in MA
School district	Pentucket	Haverhill · Whittier Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Pentucket Regional Sr High	Haverhill High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	12.5Highest
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.