Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Amesbury's standout: it has 34 miles of trail. Overall it grades C+, 214th among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns. The median household earns $104K and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 83% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $622K for a typical one and 6 times the county’s $104K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 9 places on the National Register. Amesbury’s trail density is 2.5 miles per square mile, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 1.8 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Only 5 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score lower on civic life. Its National Register listings include John Greenleaf Whittier House and Lowell's Boat Shop.
Where Amesbury beats most towns.
John Greenleaf Whittier House is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,801 in 1790, a low of 1,757 in 1800, 17,366 in 2020. The archive holds 42 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and 6 maps from 1932 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Amesbury is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Amesbury. Close and well known come first.
Big draw36 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw36 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
35 mi LakeWalden Pond
13 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
34 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
36 mi MuseumMuseum of Fine Arts Boston477K visitors a yearFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · America's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Museum of Fine Arts Boston: Martin~jawiki at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Amesbury, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Amesbury.
Amesbury is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s; it also trails West Newbury and its other neighbors on schools and has many renters stretched by housing costs.
Woodsom Farm North, at 201 acres with 3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Amesbury Town Forest | 4 mi | 86 |
| 2. Woodsom Farm North | 3 mi | 201 |
| 3. Woodsom Farm South | 2.7 mi | 138 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C+, West Newbury highest at B+.
Its public schools are run by the Amesbury school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Amesbury High, with 481 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shay ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 485 | B− |
| Amesbury HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 481 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Amesbury for work: only 12% work in town. Since 2013, Amesbury has added 1,074 jobs, to 4,671 in 2023. Amesbury’s median household income is $104,000, below Massachusetts’ towns ($120,000) but above U.S. towns ($80,000).
| Amesbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $104,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 17% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 11.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 51% of Massachusetts’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 146 to 112 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Amesbury has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Amesbury is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (24% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (39% statewide). 45% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Amesbury.
| Amesbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 45% | 47% | 29% |
| Median age | 43.7 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 46.8, men 41.3.
| Amesbury | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.1% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.1% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.4% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.2% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.5% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.6% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.4% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.8% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.3% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.8% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.8% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.4% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.2% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.6% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
66.7% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 51.8% across Massachusetts.
Amesbury’s median rent is $1,683 a month. The typical Amesbury home is worth about $622,000, up 2.4% in a year, 5% below the Massachusetts typical home. 69% of Amesbury households own their home.
| Amesbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 69% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,683 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 43 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Amesbury.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Amesbury
About 4 of every 100 Amesbury residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Amesbury’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
9 places in Amesbury on the National Register of Historic Places.
20 notable people were born in Amesbury.
City in Massachusetts, United States
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).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Amesbury.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C+; Salisbury (B−) is closest.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amesbury | #214 | C+ | D | B+ | C+ | — |
| Newburyport | #63 | A | C− | A− | B+ | A+ |
| West Newbury | #68 | A | C | A | B+ | A+ |
| Merrimac | #46 | A+ | C | A+ | B+ | A− |
| Salisbury | #195 | B− | C− | B | B− | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Amesbury grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #214 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades B+ for safety and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
20 notable people were born here, including Jeffrey Donovan and Josiah Bartlett.
