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Town comparison · Massachusetts

Amesbury vs Newburyport

North Shore · North Shore
Newburyport leads 4–2 on headline livability metrics

Across the six headline livability metrics (schools, safety, walkability, biking, affordability, and commute), Newburyport edges Amesbury 4 to 2. Median homes in Amesbury run roughly $255k cheaper than in Newburyport, about 29% less. Newburyport is about 5 minutes closer to Boston by car at peak.

The two towns at a glance

Amesbury

North Shore · pop. 17,474
Amesbury has quietly become one of the Merrimack Valley's most appealing small cities: a walkable downtown on the Merrimack River, solid schools, and new restaurants that look like they belong somewhere more expensive.
58
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Amesbury profile →

Newburyport

North Shore · pop. 18,289
Federalist-era downtown on the Merrimack with the Clipper City Rail Trail looping the city.
70
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Newburyport profile →

Head-to-head: every metric

Amesbury Newburyport
Headline
Livability index 56 73
Economics
Median home $625k $880k
Household income $101k $140k
Price ÷ income 6.2× 6.3×
Tax burden 46 62
Schools & Safety
Schools 80 84
Safety 78 90
Getting around
Commute to Boston 50 min 45 min
Walkability 55 52
Transit 30 22
Biking 35 44
Lifestyle
Dining 55 78
Nightlife 32 64
Arts & culture 40 72
Green space 38 78
Community
Diversity 22 56
Climate 68 76
5-yr trend 62 79

Clay = wins this metric. Direction matters: lower median home and shorter commute are better; everything else, higher is better.

Compare on your terms

These winners are based on a neutral, equal weighting of every metric. Your priorities are not neutral. Open Amesbury vs Newburyport in the interactive atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and watch the verdict change.

Stuck between Amesbury and Newburyport?

I'm Gary Fikes, a licensed real estate agent at MP Signature Realty and the curator of this site. I've walked both towns. Tell me what matters most and I'll give you a straight answer within 1 business day. No auto-dialer, no spam, no resale.

About this comparison

Bay State Atlas ranks 194 Massachusetts towns using public data (Census ACS, MA DESE schools, Walk Score, MA Department of Revenue tax data, and the FBI UCR safety index) normalized to 0–100. Every weight is editable. This page is a static, indexable snapshot. The live tool is faster and lets you customize what counts.