Compare towns
Dayton vs Kittery vs Saco vs Buxton
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 kids (20.4% under 18).
Kittery has the most people working from home (22.7%).
Saco has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.3%).
Buxton has the most affordable homes ($357k median).
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 | Saco | Buxton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 2,313Lowest |
10,473 |
20,819Highest |
8,512 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +8.3% ME: +2.6% |
+6.1% ME: +2.6% |
+10.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+4.3%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 42.1±5.5Lowest 6% below ME |
46.8±2.3Highest 4% above ME |
44.9±1.5 about the ME average |
45.5±3.9 about the ME average |
| Kittery and Buxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 20.4%±4Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
16.7%±2.5 ME: 18.1% |
16.2%±3.6 ME: 18.1% |
| Dayton and Saco 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% |
18.5%±2.1 ME: 22.4% |
19.2%±4.2 ME: 22.4% |
| Kittery and Buxton 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% |
43.5% ME: 36.2% |
30.3% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.1%±2.6 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
5.2%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.2%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Saco and Dayton 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±$14k 25% above ME |
$92,241±$11kLowest 23% above ME |
$100,144±$21k 34% above ME |
| Dayton and Buxton 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 |
$413,100±$17k 39% above ME |
$356,800±$21kLowest 20% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,215±$867Lowest 7% above ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
$1,249±$385 10% above ME |
$1,613±$266 42% above ME |
| Kittery and Buxton 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 |
$4,518 49% above ME |
$4,807Highest 58% above ME |
$3,422Lowest 13% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 38%±19.6 ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9 ME: 48.4% |
50.3%±14Highest ME: 48.4% |
26.9%±26.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Saco and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 3.7% ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
2.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 89.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
67.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
72.8% ME: 74.3% |
80.3% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME |
1965Lowest 12 yrs older than ME |
1982 5 yrs newer than ME |
1981 4 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 31 min 26% above ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
24 min 3% below ME |
34 minHighest 39% above ME |
| Work from home | 16.3%±3.9 ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
19%±3.6 ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±3.1Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Kittery and Saco 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 | #38 of 133 in ME | #104 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Dayton Public Schools | Kittery Public Schools | Saco Public Schools | RSU 06/MSAD 06 |
| High school in town | None in town | Robert W Traip Academy | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 9.9 |
— | — |
| 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.