Compare towns
Kittery vs Bow vs Exeter
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Kittery has the shortest commute (20 min average).
Bow has the highest household income ($173k).
Exeter has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.2%).
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 | Kittery | Bow | Exeter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 10,473 |
8,335Lowest |
16,151Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+9.4% U.S.: +7.4% |
+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 46.8±2.3Highest 20% above U.S. |
41.5±2Lowest 7% above U.S. |
45.8±2.3 18% above U.S. |
| Kittery and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.7%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22% |
25%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
17%±2.7 U.S.: 22% |
| Age 65+ | 26.9%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
17.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
24.4%±2.8 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Kittery and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 46%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
59.2% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.6%±1.9 U.S.: 6.4% |
6.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Exeter and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $93,728±$14kLowest 16% above U.S. |
$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S. |
$110,346±$13k 37% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $468,500±$31k 41% above U.S. |
$506,500±$34kHighest 52% above U.S. |
$456,600±$21kLowest 37% above U.S. |
| Bow and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,716±$224 21% above U.S. |
$1,539±$178Lowest 9% above U.S. |
$1,856±$223Highest 31% above U.S. |
| Exeter and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,518Lowest 45% above U.S. |
$9,584Highest 207% above U.S. |
$8,814 183% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 38.8%±14.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
39%±13.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
59%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Exeter and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
4.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 67.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
69.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S. |
1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S. |
1979 1 yr older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 20 minLowest 24% below U.S. |
27 minHighest about the U.S. average |
25 min 6% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 22.7%±7.2Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
22.7%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
19.9%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #17 of 133 in ME | #26 of 120 in NH | #22 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Kittery Public Schools | Bow School District | Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District |
| High school in town | Robert W Traip Academy | Bow High School | Exeter High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 9.9Lowest |
12.8Highest |
12.1 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet | 59 photos → |
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.