What it's like to live in Newburyport
Newburyport is a small city in Massachusetts with household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Newburyport deals with home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, cold winters, and heavy snowfall.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Clean air
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- Cold winters
- Heavy snowfall — 62" per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Newburyport compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Newburyport
Based on Newburyport's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,184
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $63,680 a year
- 45% of Newburyport renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$166,800
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $83,400
- Homes cost 6.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 13% above US
$1,592/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,592 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are steep, with a median around $834,000. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $834,000 · 45% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.0% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.0%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 78% below US
72 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 466/100k · Newburyport Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 21% above US
32 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 31.5 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 6 in 10 workers drive to work; 29% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 81°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 20°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 86% above US
67% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 10:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Salem Maritime National Historical Park (20 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Newburyport's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,592/mo) equals 14% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime, remote workers (29% of workers here already work from home), and college-educated professionals.
See all the data for Newburyport →·All Massachusetts cities →
Other places near Newburyport
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