Compare towns
Bath vs Dedham vs Chapman 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).
Dedham has the highest household income ($111k).
Chapman has the most affordable homes ($186k median).
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 | Dedham | Chapman | Kittery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
1,656 |
388Lowest |
10,473Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
-2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
— | +6.1%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3Lowest about the ME average |
46.5±2.2 4% above ME |
45.7±11.4 about the ME average |
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%±3.6 ME: 18.1% |
27.6%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Chapman and Dedham 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% |
27.6%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
| Chapman 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% |
49.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
22.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
46% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.2%±2.6 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
| Bath and Chapman 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 |
$111,442±$18kHighest 49% above ME |
$93,125±$17k 25% above 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 |
$185,700±$22kLowest 37% below ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116Lowest 8% below ME |
$1,422±$607 25% above 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 |
$1,850Lowest 39% below ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2Highest ME: 48.4% |
13%±85.3 ME: 48.4% |
0%±100Lowest 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% |
9% 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% |
95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
94.5% ME: 74.3% |
67.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1982 5 yrs newer 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 |
23 min 6% below ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
9.3%±4.3 ME: 15.9% |
4.8%±3.5Lowest 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 | Dedham 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 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.