Compare towns
Bath vs Kittery vs Starks
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 grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.1%).
Starks has the most affordable homes ($149k 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 | Starks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,815 |
10,473Highest |
556Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+6.1%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-7.3%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3Lowest about the ME average |
46.8±2.3Highest 4% above ME |
46.7±9.4 4% above ME |
| Kittery and Starks 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% |
16.4%±4.4Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Starks 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% |
26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
20.3%±2.2Lowest 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%Highest ME: 36.2% |
21%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
0.9%±2.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Bath and Kittery 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 |
$93,728±$14kHighest 25% above ME |
$63,500±$8kLowest 15% below ME |
| Kittery and Bath 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 |
$148,500±$27kLowest 50% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116Lowest 8% below ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
$1,063±$301 7% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,847 27% above ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
$1,348Lowest 56% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2Highest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
45.5%±90.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Bath and Starks 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% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
19.2%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
67.2% ME: 74.3% |
90%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1965 12 yrs older than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
33 minHighest 33% above ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
3.3%±2.4Lowest 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 | Kittery Public Schools | — |
| High school in town | Morse High School | 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 |
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.