Compare towns
Bath vs Wells vs Brewer 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 oldest housing (typical home built 1938).
Wells has grown the fastest since 2010 (+18%).
Brewer has the most affordable homes ($245k median).
Kittery has the most people working from home (22.7%).
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 | Wells | Brewer | Kittery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815Lowest |
11,713Highest |
9,652 |
10,473 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+18%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
53.6±3.8Highest 20% above ME |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
46.8±2.3 4% above ME |
| Kids under 18 | 15.5%±3.7 ME: 18.1% |
18%±3.4 ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Wells 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% |
31%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
| Wells 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% |
43.3% ME: 36.2% |
35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
46%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and Bath 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 |
$88,024±$11k 18% above ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
$93,728±$14kHighest 25% above ME |
| Kittery and Wells 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 |
$485,300±$23kHighest 64% above ME |
$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
$468,500±$31k 58% above ME |
| Wells and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116Lowest 8% below ME |
$1,350±$297 19% above ME |
$1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
| Kittery and Wells 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 |
$3,215Lowest 6% above ME |
$3,374 11% above ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
42.1%±19.6 ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Brewer and Bath 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% |
6.8% ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
90.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
67.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1989Highest 12 yrs newer than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
1965 12 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
28 minHighest 12% above ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
20 min 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
17.8%±4.2 ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest 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 | #22 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME | #17 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Wells-Ogunquit CSD | Brewer Public Schools | Kittery Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Wells High School | Brewer High School | Robert W Traip Academy |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
11.4 |
14.0 |
9.9Lowest |
| 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.