Amesbury, MA: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Amesbury is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the left bank of the Merrimack River near its mouth, upstream from Salisbury and across the river from Newburyport and West Newbury. The population was 17,366 at the 2020 United States census. A former farming and mill town, Amesbury is today largely residential. It is one of the two northernmost towns in Massachusetts (the other being neighboring Salisbury).

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Amesbury ranks

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#117Shortest commute in MA #131Most affordable in MA #136Safest in MA All MA rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code01913

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Living in Amesbury

Housing in Amesbury

$628K▲ 2.5% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Amesbury home is worth about $628,000, up 2.5% in a year, 5% below the Massachusetts typical home.

A seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market21

Sale-to-list101.7%

Sold in May17

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Amesbury

B⁺

Safety Grade B+

Amesbury reports less crime per resident than 72% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade. Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Amesbury sits closer to the middle.

Violent crime per 1,000

Amesbury 0.9

Massachusetts 3

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Amesbury 5.5

Massachusetts 10.4

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Schools in Amesbury

In the guide →

C⁺

School Grade C+

The public schools Amesbury’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 59% of Massachusetts’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

See how Amesbury’s schools compare in MA →

DistrictAmesburySchools5

Shay Elementary B-Elementary · Grades PK–2 · 485 students Charles C Cashman Elementary B-Elementary · Grades 3–5 · 413 students Amesbury Middle C+Middle · Grades 6–8 · 364 students Amesbury High AHigh · Grades 9–12 · 481 students Amesbury Innovation High School C-High · Grades 9–12 · 50 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within MA. Ratings are from neighbors.