What stands out worked out from the figures below

Berlin has the most affordable homes ($131k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Berlin	Kittery
People
Population	9,383Lowest	10,473Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.6±2.8Lowest 15% above U.S.	46.8±2.3Highest 20% above U.S.
	Kittery and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%	14.7%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Berlin and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26.9%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Kittery and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Kittery and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$45,180±$5kLowest 44% below U.S.	$93,728±$14kHighest 16% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$131,000±$15kLowest 61% below U.S.	$468,500±$31kHighest 41% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$815±$141Lowest 42% below U.S.	$1,716±$224Highest 21% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,437Lowest 10% above U.S.	$4,518Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.7%±12Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.8%±14.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Berlin and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	67.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 29% below U.S.	20 minHighest 24% below U.S.
Work from home	3.5%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±7.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#108 of 120 in NH	#17 of 133 in ME
School district	Berlin School District	Kittery Public Schools
High school in town	Berlin Senior High School	Robert W Traip Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	8.2Lowest	9.9Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.