Compare towns
Bath vs Appleton vs West Bath vs Kittery
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).
West Bath has the highest household income ($103k).
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 | Bath | Appleton | West Bath | Kittery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
1,360Lowest |
1,863 |
10,473Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+1.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3Lowest about the ME average |
49.2±7.4 10% above ME |
54.2±5.6Highest 21% above ME |
46.8±2.3 4% above ME |
| West Bath and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 15.5%±3.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7 ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±4.2Lowest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Bath and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 25.2%±4.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3 ME: 22.4% |
29.4%±4.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
| West Bath and Kittery 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% |
50.7%Highest ME: 36.2% |
46% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.3 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
| Bath and West Bath 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 |
$103,333±$27kHighest 38% above ME |
$93,728±$14k 25% above ME |
| West Bath 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 |
$422,800±$102k 43% above ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
| Kittery and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116Lowest 8% below ME |
$1,104±$82 3% below ME |
$1,112±$327 about the ME average |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,847 27% above ME |
$3,588 18% above ME |
$3,516Lowest 16% above ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
41.1%±26.3 ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9Lowest 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% |
3.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
6.4% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.3% ME: 74.3% |
67.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1965 12 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
21 min 16% below ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
17.1%±6.9 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 | — | — | #17 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Appleton Public Schools | West Bath Public Schools | Kittery Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | None in town | None in town | Robert W Traip Academy |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
— | — | 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.