Compare towns
Bath vs Jay vs Kittery vs Ellsworth
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).
Jay has the most affordable homes ($169k median).
Kittery has the most expensive homes ($469k median).
Ellsworth has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).
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 | Jay | Kittery | Ellsworth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
4,657Lowest |
10,473Highest |
8,657 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1% ME: +2.6% |
+8.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
39.5±5.1Lowest 12% below ME |
46.8±2.3Highest 4% above ME |
43±2.4 4% below 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% |
17.5%±5.4 ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Ellsworth and Jay 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% |
19.3%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3 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% |
29.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
46%Highest ME: 36.2% |
39.3% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±3.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
| Bath and Ellsworth 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 |
$70,238±$19k 6% below ME |
$93,728±$14kHighest 25% above ME |
$77,375±$18k 4% above ME |
| Kittery and Ellsworth 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 |
$168,600±$27kLowest 43% below ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
$242,300±$22k 18% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116 8% below ME |
$759±$141Lowest 33% below ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
$1,017±$195 11% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,847 27% above ME |
$2,245Lowest 26% below ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
$3,262 7% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
27.2%±28.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9 ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Ellsworth 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% |
9.8% ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
9.3% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
67.2% ME: 74.3% |
66.7% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
1965 12 yrs older than ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
21 min 13% below ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
25 minHighest about the ME average |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
4.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8 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 | #86 of 133 in ME | #17 of 133 in ME | #63 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | RSU 73 | Kittery Public Schools | Ellsworth Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Spruce Mountain High School | Robert W Traip Academy | Ellsworth High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
12.7 |
9.9Lowest |
12.7 |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet | 5 photos → |
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.