Compare towns
Brewer vs Ellsworth vs Kittery vs Bath
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 grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).
Kittery has the most expensive homes ($469k median).
Bath has the oldest housing (typical home built 1938).
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 | Kittery | Bath |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 9,652 |
8,657Lowest |
10,473Highest |
8,815 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+8.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1% ME: +2.6% |
+3% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
43±2.4 4% below ME |
46.8±2.3Highest 4% above ME |
45.4±3 about the ME average |
| Kittery and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
15.5%±3.7 ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Ellsworth 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%±3.3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
25.2%±4.1 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+ | 35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
39.3% ME: 36.2% |
46%Highest ME: 36.2% |
42.5% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.5%±2 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 | $66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
$77,375±$18k 4% above ME |
$93,728±$14kHighest 25% above ME |
$69,390±$12k 7% below ME |
| Kittery and Ellsworth 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 |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
$310,900±$30k 5% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$1,017±$195Lowest 11% below ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
$1,044±$116 8% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,374 11% above ME |
$3,262Lowest 7% above ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
$3,847 27% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
51.3%±15.2 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% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.4% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
66.7% ME: 74.3% |
67.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
64.3% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959 18 yrs older than ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
1965 12 yrs older than ME |
1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 31% below ME |
25 minHighest about the ME average |
20 min 19% below ME |
24 min about the ME average |
| Work from home | 6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
19.3%±6 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 | #32 of 133 in ME | #63 of 133 in ME | #17 of 133 in ME | #31 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Brewer Public Schools | Ellsworth Public Schools | Kittery Public Schools | RSU 01 - LKRSU |
| High school in town | Brewer High School | Ellsworth High School | Robert W Traip Academy | Morse High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.0 |
12.7 |
9.9Lowest |
14.8Highest |
| 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.