Compare towns
Bath vs Bristol 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 affordable homes ($311k median).
Bristol has the most homeowners (88.6%).
Kittery has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.1%).
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 | Bristol | Kittery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,815 |
2,917Lowest |
10,473Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+2.9%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3Lowest about the ME average |
61±3.2Highest 36% above ME |
46.8±2.3 4% above ME |
| Kids under 18 | 15.5%±3.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
13.9%±4.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9 ME: 18.1% |
| Bath and Kittery 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% |
42.8%±8.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 42.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
52.7%Highest ME: 36.2% |
46% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.4%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
| Bath and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $69,390±$12kLowest 7% below ME |
$100,750±$19kHighest 35% above ME |
$93,728±$14k 25% above ME |
| Bristol 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±$30kLowest 5% above ME |
$406,400±$54k 37% above ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
| Kittery and Bristol 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 |
$1,051±$106 8% below ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,847 27% above ME |
$2,668Lowest 12% below ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2Highest ME: 48.4% |
23.4%±19.2Lowest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9 ME: 48.4% |
| Bath and Kittery 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% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
88.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
67.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1968Highest 9 yrs older than ME |
1965 12 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minHighest about the ME average |
18 minLowest 28% below ME |
20 min 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Lowest ME: 15.9% |
25%±8.3Highest ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2 ME: 15.9% |
| Bristol and Kittery 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 | #16 of 133 in ME | #17 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Bristol Public Schools | Kittery Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | None in town | Robert W Traip Academy |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
— | 9.9Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.