Compare towns
Durham vs Kittery vs Sidney
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Durham has the most homeowners (95.4%).
Kittery has the most expensive homes ($469k median).
Sidney has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.4%).
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 | Durham | Kittery | Sidney |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 4,262Lowest |
10,473Highest |
4,790 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +8.4% ME: +2.6% |
+6.1%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+10.4%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 42.6±5.9Lowest 5% below ME |
46.8±2.3Highest 4% above ME |
43±5.5 4% below ME |
| Kittery and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.7%±4.6 ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
23.1%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Sidney and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 16.6%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
| Kittery and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34.8% ME: 36.2% |
46%Highest ME: 36.2% |
33.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.9%±3.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
1.5%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Durham and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $99,181±$5kHighest 33% above ME |
$93,728±$14k 25% above ME |
$83,488±$10kLowest 12% above ME |
| Durham and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $322,200±$34kLowest 9% above ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
$336,200±$34k 13% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
$1,340±$304Lowest 18% above ME |
| Kittery and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,781 25% above ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
$2,474Lowest 19% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 25%±40.9 ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9Highest ME: 48.4% |
16.4%±17.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Kittery and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 4.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
67.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
89.4% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1986 9 yrs newer than ME |
1965Lowest 12 yrs older than ME |
1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 minHighest 13% above ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
25 min about the ME average |
| Work from home | 20.9%±5.6 ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
14.3%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Kittery and Durham 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 | #14 of 133 in ME | #17 of 133 in ME | #15 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 05 | Kittery Public Schools | RSU 18 |
| High school in town | None in town | Robert W Traip Academy | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 9.9 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.