Compare towns
Bath vs Brunswick vs Wayne 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).
Brunswick has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.2%).
Wayne has the most homeowners (89.9%).
Kittery has the most expensive homes ($469k median).
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 | Brunswick | Wayne | Kittery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
17,652Highest |
1,101Lowest |
10,473 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+12.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
37.9±2.2Lowest 15% below ME |
55.6±5.3Highest 24% above ME |
46.8±2.3 4% above ME |
| Kids under 18 | 15.5%±3.7 ME: 18.1% |
16.1%±2.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
13.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9 ME: 18.1% |
| Brunswick 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% |
23%±2.4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
29.2%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
| Wayne 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%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
51.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
48.8% ME: 36.2% |
46% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
15.4%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
6.5%±2.8 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $69,390±$12kLowest 7% below ME |
$70,722±$5k 5% below ME |
$93,194±$26k 25% above ME |
$93,728±$14kHighest 25% above ME |
| Kittery and Wayne 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 |
$363,200±$18k 22% above ME |
$362,800±$29k 22% above ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116 8% below ME |
$1,465±$100 29% above ME |
$983±$554Lowest 14% below ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
| Kittery and Brunswick 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 |
$4,477 47% above ME |
$3,289Lowest 8% above ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
58.8%±9.2Highest ME: 48.4% |
25%±52.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9 ME: 48.4% |
| Brunswick 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% |
8.6% ME: 10.7% |
7.9% ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
66.3% ME: 74.3% |
89.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
67.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
1965 12 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
23 min 7% below ME |
30 minHighest 24% above ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
18%±4.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
26.2%±11.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2 ME: 15.9% |
| Wayne 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 | #30 of 133 in ME | — | #17 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | — | RSU 38 | 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 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.