Compare towns
Dedham vs Ellsworth vs Kittery vs Belgrade
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Dedham has the highest household income ($111k).
Ellsworth has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).
Kittery has the most expensive homes ($469k median).
Belgrade has the oldest population (median age 47.3).
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 | Dedham | Ellsworth | Kittery | Belgrade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,656Lowest |
8,657 |
10,473Highest |
3,351 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+8.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1% ME: +2.6% |
+1.9% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.5±2.2 4% above ME |
43±2.4Lowest 4% below ME |
46.8±2.3 4% above ME |
47.3±14.6Highest 6% above ME |
| Belgrade and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 23.8%±3.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
22.6%±6.9 ME: 18.1% |
| Dedham and Belgrade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 18.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3 ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
23.9%±6.4 ME: 22.4% |
| Kittery and Belgrade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 49.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
39.3%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
46% ME: 36.2% |
49.1% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
5.7%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Belgrade and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $111,442±$18kHighest 49% above ME |
$77,375±$18kLowest 4% above ME |
$93,728±$14k 25% above ME |
$88,338±$13k 18% above ME |
| Dedham and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $356,400±$33k 20% above ME |
$242,300±$22kLowest 18% below ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
$312,200±$44k 5% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,422±$607 25% above ME |
$1,017±$195 11% below ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
$857±$108Lowest 25% below ME |
| Kittery and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,942 30% above ME |
$3,262 7% above ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
$2,859Lowest 6% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9 ME: 48.4% |
17.2%±35.9 ME: 48.4% |
| Ellsworth and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 9% ME: 10.7% |
9.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4% ME: 10.7% |
3.1%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
66.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
67.2% ME: 74.3% |
93.8% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1965Lowest 12 yrs older than ME |
1985Highest 8 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 22% above ME |
25 min about the ME average |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
23 min 7% below ME |
| Work from home | 9.3%±4.3 ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
20.4%±8.6 ME: 15.9% |
| Kittery and Belgrade 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 | — | #63 of 133 in ME | #17 of 133 in ME | #71 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Dedham Public Schools | Ellsworth Public Schools | Kittery Public Schools | RSU 18 |
| High school in town | None in town | Ellsworth High School | Robert W Traip Academy | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.7Highest |
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.