Compare towns
Bath vs Wayne vs Kittery vs Brunswick
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 affordable homes ($311k median).
Wayne has the most homeowners (89.9%).
Kittery has the most expensive homes ($469k median).
Brunswick has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.3%).
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 | Wayne | Kittery | Brunswick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
1,101Lowest |
10,473 |
22,336Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
-5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1% ME: +2.6% |
+7.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
55.6±5.3Highest 24% above ME |
46.8±2.3 4% above ME |
40±2.8Lowest 11% below ME |
| Kids under 18 | 15.5%±3.7 ME: 18.1% |
13.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9 ME: 18.1% |
17.2%±2.2Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Brunswick 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% |
29.2%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
22.9%±2.2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Wayne 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%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
48.8% ME: 36.2% |
46% ME: 36.2% |
53.9%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
6.5%±2.8 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
13.3%±1.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $69,390±$12kLowest 7% below ME |
$93,194±$26k 25% above ME |
$93,728±$14kHighest 25% above ME |
$74,952±$6k about the ME average |
| Kittery and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $310,900±$30kLowest 5% above ME |
$362,800±$29k 22% above ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
$376,300±$15k 27% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116 8% below ME |
$983±$554Lowest 14% below ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
$1,469±$99 29% above 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 |
$3,289Lowest 8% above ME |
$4,518 49% above ME |
$4,756Highest 57% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
25%±52.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9 ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±8.8Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Brunswick 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% |
7.9% ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
7.7% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
89.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
67.2% ME: 74.3% |
71.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1965 12 yrs older than ME |
1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
30 minHighest 24% above ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
23 min 5% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Lowest ME: 15.9% |
26.2%±11.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2 ME: 15.9% |
19.8%±3.8 ME: 15.9% |
| Wayne and Kittery 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 |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | RSU 38 | Kittery Public Schools | Brunswick Public Schools · Brunswick-Region 10 |
| High school in town | Morse High School | None in town | Robert W Traip Academy | Brunswick High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
— | 9.9Lowest |
10.9 |
| 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.