Compare towns
Bath vs Dedham 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).
Dedham has the most homeowners (95.5%).
Brewer has the most affordable homes ($245k median).
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 | Dedham | Brewer | Kittery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
1,656Lowest |
9,652 |
10,473Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
-2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2% ME: +2.6% |
+6.1%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
46.5±2.2 4% above ME |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
46.8±2.3Highest 4% above ME |
| Kittery and Dedham 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% |
23.8%±3.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Dedham and Brewer 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% |
18.7%±2.9Lowest 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% |
49.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
46% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and 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 |
$111,442±$18kHighest 49% above ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
$93,728±$14k 25% above ME |
| Dedham 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 |
$356,400±$33k 20% above ME |
$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116Lowest 8% below ME |
$1,422±$607 25% above ME |
$1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
| Kittery and Dedham 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 |
$3,942 30% 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% |
13%±85.3Lowest 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% |
9% ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
67.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
1965 12 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
30 minHighest 22% above ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
20 min 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
9.3%±4.3 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 | — | #32 of 133 in ME | #17 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Dedham Public Schools | Brewer Public Schools | Kittery Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | None in town | Brewer High School | Robert W Traip Academy |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
— | 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.