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Town comparison · Massachusetts

Amesbury vs Salisbury

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

Across the six headline livability metrics (schools, safety, walkability, biking, affordability, and commute), Amesbury edges Salisbury 4 to 2. Median home prices are close, within $0k of each other. Amesbury is about 15 minutes closer to Boston by car at peak. Schools tilt clearly toward Amesbury (80 vs. 72).

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 →

Salisbury

North Shore · pop. 9,800
Salisbury Beach draws the summer crowds, arcades, fried clams, tiki bars, and the off-season is quiet rural Essex County. The price is the pitch: $600Ks for ocean-adjacent.
50
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Salisbury profile →

Head-to-head: every metric

Amesbury Salisbury
Headline
Livability index 56 ✦ 52
Economics
Median home $625k $625k
Household income $101k ✦ $92k
Price ÷ income 6.2× 6.8× ✦
Tax burden 46 48 ✦
Schools & Safety
Schools 80 ✦ 72
Safety 78 ✦ 76
Getting around
Commute to Boston 50 min 65 min ✦
Walkability 55 ✦ 38
Transit 30 ✦ 15
Biking 35 ✦ 32
Lifestyle
Dining 55 ✦ 45
Nightlife 32 32
Arts & culture 40 ✦ 38
Green space 38 42 ✦
Community
Diversity 22 25 ✦
Climate 68 ✦ 62
5-yr trend 62 ✦ 58

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 Salisbury in the interactive atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and watch the verdict change.

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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.