Compare towns
Bath vs Kittery vs Brunswick 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).
Kittery has the most expensive homes ($469k median).
Brunswick has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.2%).
Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k 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 | Kittery | Brunswick | Ellsworth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
10,473 |
17,652Highest |
8,657Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1% ME: +2.6% |
+12.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+8.5% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
46.8±2.3Highest 4% above ME |
37.9±2.2Lowest 15% below 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% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
16.1%±2.5 ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Ellsworth and Brunswick 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% |
26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
23%±2.4 ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3Lowest 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% |
46% ME: 36.2% |
51.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
39.3%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
15.4%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $69,390±$12kLowest 7% below ME |
$93,728±$14kHighest 25% above ME |
$70,722±$5k 5% below 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 |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
$363,200±$18k 22% above ME |
$242,300±$22kLowest 18% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116 8% below ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
$1,465±$100 29% above ME |
$1,017±$195Lowest 11% below 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 |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
$4,477 47% above ME |
$3,262Lowest 7% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
58.8%±9.2 ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Ellsworth and Brunswick 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% |
8.6% ME: 10.7% |
9.3% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
67.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
66.3% ME: 74.3% |
66.7% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1965 12 yrs older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
23 min 7% below ME |
25 minHighest about the ME average |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
18%±4.2 ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8Lowest 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 | #30 of 133 in ME | #63 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Kittery Public Schools | — | Ellsworth Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Robert W Traip Academy | — | Ellsworth High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
9.9Lowest |
— | 12.7 |
| 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.