Compare towns
Holderness vs Kittery vs Dover
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Holderness has the most homeowners (83.7%).
Kittery has the most people working from home (22.7%).
Dover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).
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 | Holderness | Kittery | Dover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,917Lowest |
10,473 |
33,364Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -4.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+6.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 39.4±7.4 about the U.S. average |
46.8±2.3Highest 20% above U.S. |
36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S. |
| Kittery and Holderness are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.7%±9.3Lowest U.S.: 22% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22% |
16.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Dover and Holderness are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 31.4%±4.6Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
26.9%±4.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
16.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Holderness and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 55.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
46%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
52% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.6%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.5%±1.5 U.S.: 6.4% |
6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Dover and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $107,863±$45kHighest 34% above U.S. |
$93,728±$14kLowest 16% above U.S. |
$94,829±$7k 17% above U.S. |
| Holderness and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $363,100±$60kLowest 9% above U.S. |
$468,500±$31kHighest 41% above U.S. |
$436,700±$20k 31% above U.S. |
| Kittery and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $2,068±$385Highest 46% above U.S. |
$1,716±$224 21% above U.S. |
$1,607±$100Lowest 14% above U.S. |
| Holderness and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,923Lowest 26% above U.S. |
$4,518 45% above U.S. |
$8,249Highest 164% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 23.5%±21.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
38.8%±14.9 U.S.: 51.1% |
48.6%±6.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Dover and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 12.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
8.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 83.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
67.2% U.S.: 65.2% |
52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S. |
1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S. |
1976 4 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 27 minHighest about the U.S. average |
20 minLowest 24% below U.S. |
23 min 14% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 9.4%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
22.7%±7.2Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
18.6%±2.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Kittery and Dover 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 | #64 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Holderness School District | Kittery Public Schools | Dover School District |
| High school in town | None in town | Robert W Traip Academy | Dover Senior High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 9.9Lowest |
12.7Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet | None yet |
U.S. 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.