Compare towns
Dayton vs Kittery vs Hermon
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Dayton has the most homeowners (89.7%).
Kittery has the most people working from home (22.7%).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
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 | Dayton | Kittery | Hermon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 2,313Lowest |
10,473Highest |
6,727 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +8.3% ME: +2.6% |
+6.1%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+19.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 42.1±5.5 6% below ME |
46.8±2.3Highest 4% above ME |
41.1±4.7Lowest 8% below ME |
| Kittery and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20.4%±4 ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
21.6%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Hermon and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 14.3%±3.2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
20.4%±4.7 ME: 22.4% |
| Kittery and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 27.6%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
46%Highest ME: 36.2% |
37.6% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.1%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.1 ME: 5.8% |
| Dayton and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $113,750±$24kHighest 52% above ME |
$93,728±$14kLowest 25% above ME |
$96,629±$22k 29% above ME |
| Dayton and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $398,200±$34k 34% above ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
$333,600±$32kLowest 12% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,215±$867Lowest 7% above ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
$1,406±$202 23% 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 | $3,872 28% above ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
$2,761Lowest 9% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 38%±19.6 ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9Highest ME: 48.4% |
28.2%±19.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Kittery and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 3.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
6.4% ME: 10.7% |
6.8%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 89.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
67.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
75.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1990 13 yrs newer than ME |
1965Lowest 12 yrs older than ME |
2000Highest 23 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 26% above ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
23 min 8% below ME |
| Work from home | 16.3%±3.9 ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Kittery and Dayton 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 | — | #17 of 133 in ME | #54 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Dayton Public Schools | Kittery Public Schools | Hermon Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | Robert W Traip Academy | Hermon High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 9.9Lowest |
14.6Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.