Compare towns
Bath vs Appleton vs Kittery vs Hermon
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bath has the most renters (35.7% rent).
Appleton has the most affordable homes ($236k median).
Kittery has the most expensive homes ($469k median).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
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 | Bath | Appleton | Kittery | Hermon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
1,360Lowest |
10,473Highest |
6,727 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2% ME: +2.6% |
+6.1% ME: +2.6% |
+19.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
46.8±2.3 4% above ME |
41.1±4.7Lowest 8% below ME |
| Appleton and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 15.5%±3.7 ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7 ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
21.6%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Hermon and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 25.2%±4.1 ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3 ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
20.4%±4.7Lowest 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+ | 42.5% ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
46%Highest ME: 36.2% |
37.6% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.1 ME: 5.8% |
| Bath and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $69,390±$12k 7% below ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$93,728±$14k 25% above ME |
$96,629±$22kHighest 29% 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 | $310,900±$30k 5% above ME |
$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
$333,600±$32k 12% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116Lowest 8% below ME |
$1,104±$82 3% below ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
$1,406±$202 23% 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 | $3,847 27% above ME |
$3,588 18% above ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
$2,761Lowest 9% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9 ME: 48.4% |
28.2%±19.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 12.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9.7% ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
6.8% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
67.2% ME: 74.3% |
75.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1988 11 yrs newer than ME |
1965 12 yrs older than ME |
2000Highest 23 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
23 min 8% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.2Lowest 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 | — | #17 of 133 in ME | #54 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Appleton Public Schools | Kittery Public Schools | Hermon Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | None in town | Robert W Traip Academy | Hermon High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
— | 9.9Lowest |
14.6 |
| 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.