Compare towns
Brewer vs Ellsworth vs Hermon vs Kittery
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).
Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k median).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
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 | Brewer | Ellsworth | Hermon | Kittery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 9,652 |
8,657 |
6,727Lowest |
10,473Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+8.5% ME: +2.6% |
+19.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
43±2.4 4% below ME |
41.1±4.7 8% below ME |
46.8±2.3Highest 4% above ME |
| Kittery and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
21.6%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Hermon and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3 ME: 22.4% |
20.4%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Kittery and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
39.3% ME: 36.2% |
37.6% ME: 36.2% |
46%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.1 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
$77,375±$18k 4% above ME |
$96,629±$22kHighest 29% above ME |
$93,728±$14k 25% above ME |
| Hermon and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $245,300±$21k 17% below ME |
$242,300±$22kLowest 18% below ME |
$333,600±$32k 12% above ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$1,017±$195Lowest 11% below ME |
$1,406±$202 23% above ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
| Kittery and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,374 11% above ME |
$3,262 7% above ME |
$2,761Lowest 9% below ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
28.2%±19.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9 ME: 48.4% |
| Ellsworth and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9.3% ME: 10.7% |
6.8% ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
66.7% ME: 74.3% |
75.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
67.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
2000Highest 23 yrs newer than ME |
1965 12 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 31% below ME |
25 minHighest about the ME average |
23 min 8% below ME |
20 min 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.2 ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #32 of 133 in ME | #63 of 133 in ME | #54 of 133 in ME | #17 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Brewer Public Schools | Ellsworth Public Schools | Hermon Public Schools | Kittery Public Schools |
| High school in town | Brewer High School | Ellsworth High School | Hermon High School | Robert W Traip Academy |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.0 |
12.7 |
14.6Highest |
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.