Compare towns
Bath vs Biddeford 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
Bath has the oldest housing (typical home built 1938).
Biddeford has the most renters (51.9% rent).
Brewer has the most kids (20.9% under 18).
Kittery has the highest household income ($94k).
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 | Biddeford | Brewer | Kittery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815Lowest |
22,498Highest |
9,652 |
10,473 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+6% ME: +2.6% |
+2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
35±2.6Lowest 22% below ME |
40.1±4.8 10% below ME |
46.8±2.3Highest 4% above ME |
| Kittery and Bath 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% |
15.6%±2.2 ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Biddeford 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% |
17.1%±1.7Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Kittery and Bath 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% |
32.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
35% ME: 36.2% |
46%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
11%±1.6Highest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Biddeford and Brewer 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 |
$72,333±$4k 3% below ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
$93,728±$14kHighest 25% above ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $310,900±$30k 5% above ME |
$396,600±$25k 34% above ME |
$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116Lowest 8% below ME |
$1,292±$100 13% above ME |
$1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,847 27% above ME |
$4,401 45% above ME |
$3,374Lowest 11% above ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
37.2%±6Lowest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9 ME: 48.4% |
| Brewer and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 12.4% ME: 10.7% |
15.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
12.5% ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
48.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
59.7% ME: 74.3% |
67.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1952 25 yrs older than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
1965Highest 12 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minHighest about the ME average |
24 min 4% below ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
20 min 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
14.2%±2.7 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 | #111 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME | #17 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Biddeford Public Schools | Brewer Public Schools | Kittery Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Biddeford High School | Brewer High School | Robert W Traip Academy |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
14.1 |
14.0 |
9.9Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.