Compare towns
Appleton vs Bath vs Brewer vs Kittery
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Appleton has the most homeowners (82.6%).
Bath has the oldest housing (typical home built 1938).
Brewer has the most kids (20.9% under 18).
Kittery has the most expensive homes ($469k median).
What matters to you?
Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.
| Measure | Appleton | Bath | Brewer | Kittery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,360Lowest |
8,815 |
9,652 |
10,473Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+3% ME: +2.6% |
+2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
45.4±3 about the ME average |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
46.8±2.3 4% above ME |
| Appleton and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 15.3%±2.7 ME: 18.1% |
15.5%±3.7 ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 26.1%±9.3 ME: 22.4% |
25.2%±4.1 ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Kittery and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
42.5% ME: 36.2% |
35% ME: 36.2% |
46%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$69,390±$12k 7% below ME |
$66,613±$9k 11% below ME |
$93,728±$14kHighest 25% above ME |
| Kittery and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME |
$310,900±$30k 5% above ME |
$245,300±$21k 17% below ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,104±$82 3% below ME |
$1,044±$116Lowest 8% below ME |
$1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,588 18% above ME |
$3,847 27% above ME |
$3,374Lowest 11% above ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 9.7% ME: 10.7% |
12.4% ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
64.3% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
67.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
1965 12 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 23% above ME |
24 min about the ME average |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
20 min 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Kittery and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #31 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME | #17 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Appleton Public Schools | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Brewer Public Schools | Kittery Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | Morse High School | Brewer High School | Robert W Traip Academy |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.8Highest |
14.0 |
9.9Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet | None yet |
ME average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.