Compare towns
Appleton vs Hermon 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 affordable homes ($236k median).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
Kittery has the most people working from home (22.7%).
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 | Hermon | Kittery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,360Lowest |
6,727 |
10,473Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.2% ME: +2.6% |
+19.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
41.1±4.7Lowest 8% 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% |
21.6%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Hermon and Appleton 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% |
20.4%±4.7Lowest 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% |
37.6% ME: 36.2% |
46%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
| Hermon and Kittery 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 |
$96,629±$22kHighest 29% above ME |
$93,728±$14k 25% above ME |
| Hermon and Kittery 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 |
$333,600±$32k 12% above ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME |
$1,406±$202 23% above ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
| Kittery and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,588 18% above ME |
$2,761Lowest 9% below ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
28.2%±19.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.8% ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
75.2% ME: 74.3% |
67.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1988 11 yrs newer than ME |
2000Highest 23 yrs newer than ME |
1965Lowest 12 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 23% above ME |
23 min 8% below ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #54 of 133 in ME | #17 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Appleton Public Schools | Hermon Public Schools | Kittery Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | Hermon High School | Robert W Traip Academy |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.6Highest |
9.9Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.