Compare towns
Jay vs Kittery
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Jay has the most affordable homes ($169k median).
Kittery has the most people working from home (22.7%).
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 | Jay | Kittery |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 4,657Lowest |
10,473Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 39.5±5.1Lowest 12% below ME |
46.8±2.3Highest 4% above ME |
| Kittery and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Kids under 18 | 17.5%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Jay and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Age 65+ | 19.3%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Kittery and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 29.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
46%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±3.2 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $70,238±$19kLowest 6% below ME |
$93,728±$14kHighest 25% above ME |
| Kittery and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $168,600±$27kLowest 43% below ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $759±$141Lowest 33% below ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,245Lowest 26% below ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 27.2%±28.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Kittery and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 9.8%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
67.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
1965Lowest 12 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 21 minHighest 13% below ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 4.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #86 of 133 in ME | #17 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 73 | Kittery Public Schools |
| High school in town | Spruce Mountain High School | Robert W Traip Academy |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.7Highest |
9.9Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | ||
| Old photos in History | 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.