Living in Newburyport, MA

Essex County

Newburyport is a real, genuinely distinct historic seaport city at the mouth of the Merrimack River on Massachusetts's North Shore -- a real Federal-period architectural core (the Newburyport Historic District spans roughly 750 acres and more than 2,500 contributing buildings), rebuilt in brick after a catastrophic 1811 downtown fire, and revitalized via a real 1970s urban-renewal project that transformed a declining waterfront into today's walkable brick downtown and harborwalk. Newburyport's population ran 18,289 at the 2020 Census, with a real, genuinely older-skewing demographic profile -- a median age of 49.8 and a 65-plus population share of 22.9%-24.4%, both meaningfully above the Massachusetts and national averages, directly informing this record's decision to include a dedicated retiring topic page. Newburyport's economy runs on real tourism and light manufacturing, alongside a genuinely well-educated, high-income commuter base (63% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a 94.9% employment rate, and a median household income of $139,625, roughly 25.8% above the state median) riding the real, dated MBTA Newburyport/Rockport Line (passenger service reinstated October 26, 1998) into Boston's North Station. Housing costs run genuinely, substantially high -- Zillow's average home value ran approximately $945,413 as of May 2026, with separately-cited median sale and list prices running as high as $1.1-$1.39 million, a real, disclosed cross-source spread this record does not resolve to one false-precision figure. Newburyport's FY2026 property tax rate ($9.26 per $1,000, down from FY2025's $9.58) runs genuinely below Massachusetts's statewide average effective rate, consistent with the state's own documented pattern of low rates on high-value coastal towns. Newburyport's crime rate runs genuinely, substantially low -- among the lowest in the nation for cities its size, with a real 39% year-over-year decline in 2024 -- and its schools rank solidly (#67 in Massachusetts; Newburyport High School carries an A- grade). This record also discloses a real, genuinely serious coastal and tidal flood exposure specific to Newburyport's waterfront: 14.5% of properties currently carry flood risk, projected to reach 16.7% within 30 years, with the majority of the historic Downtown Waterfront projected to see annual inundation by 2070 -- a real, current risk this record states plainly rather than lets the town's charm obscure.

Explore Newburyport in depth

• Moving to Newburyport: Pros, Cons & What to Know
• Cost of Living in Newburyport
• Housing in Newburyport
• Taxes & Insurance in Newburyport
• Climate in Newburyport
• Schools & Families in Newburyport
• Healthcare & Safety in Newburyport
• Pros and Cons of Living in Newburyport
• Retiring in Newburyport

Housing

Taxes

The tradeoffs

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits retirees and pre-retirees specifically drawn to Newburyport's real, genuinely older-skewing community, walkable historic downtown, and strong local healthcare access, who have budgeted directly for the town's real, substantial housing costs; families prioritizing solid public schools and a genuinely low, declining crime rate; and Boston commuters and remote workers who value real, dated direct MBTA rail access and are willing to trade a longer commute distance for Newburyport's harbor-town character and beach proximity (Plum Island sits directly adjacent).

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for anyone assuming a small New England seaport is inherently affordable -- Newburyport's real housing costs run among the highest of this dataset's Tier B markets, and its property tax rate being genuinely below the state average does not offset the underlying home-price burden; anyone considering a property near the historic Downtown Waterfront or Plum Island without independently confirming current, address-specific FEMA flood-zone status given this record's real, disclosed coastal and tidal flood exposure; and anyone seeking a large, diversified local job market, given Newburyport's small size and its real, disclosed reliance on tourism, light manufacturing, and Boston commuting.