Photo: Fletcher6 · CC BY-SA 3.0In Amesbury, 78% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Massachusetts
Amesbury’s city government spent $79.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $4,622 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Amesbury is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Amesbury School District
Amesbury’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Amesbury, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $24,739 per pupil, $15,839 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Massachusetts districts overall: 49% local, 43% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $4,622 per resident a year, or $12.66 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 60% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Amesbury runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Massachusetts cities of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools.
$4,103 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Amesbury’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($4,103 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 31 Massachusetts cities of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools: the median was $4,146, and the middle half spent $3,706–$4,490. Amesbury spent less than 55% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.3 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Massachusetts cities of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Amesbury itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Amesbury reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $4,103 · 2023: $4,622.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $7,360 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.42% of the home’s value, vs 1.07% across Massachusetts.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Amesbury’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Amesbury’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Amesbury →
Who’s in charge in Amesbury
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Amesbury’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on amesburyma.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 35 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (17,269).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
How Amesbury voted in 2024
Official results for Amesbury’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat63.9%6,567 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican34.1%3,500 votesOthers: 2.0% (202 votes).
Most votes in Amesbury: Kamala D Harris
Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%
of Amesbury’s 13,237 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Massachusetts: 67%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Amesbury: Elizabeth Ann Warren
Massachusetts: Warren 59.8%, Deaton 40.0%
President, 2024: Amesbury, the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amesbury | 63.9% | 34.1% | 2.0% | 10,269 |
| Massachusetts | 61.2% | 36.0% | 2.8% | 3,473,668 |
Amesbury is not one county, so there is no single county to set beside it; its result is theirs combined.
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
How Amesbury compares with the towns next door
Amesbury spent $4,103 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Merrimac | $1,163 | $7,399 |
| West Newbury | $1,668 | $9,240 |
| Salisbury | $1,695 | $4,604 |
| Newburyport | $4,894 runs schools | $7,944 |
| Amesbury | $4,103 | $7,360 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Amesbury’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Amesbury’s government
How much does Amesbury spend per resident?
About $4,622 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $4,103 was less than 55% of 31 Massachusetts cities of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Amesbury?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $7,360 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.42% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.07% across Massachusetts. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see amesburyma.gov.
Who runs Amesbury’s government?
See amesburyma.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Amesbury yet.
How did Amesbury vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 63.9%, Donald J Trump 34.1% (10,269 votes, official results). Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%.
How many people work for Amesbury?
489 full-time and 69 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $2.9M (about $34.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Amesbury’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →