Compare towns
Kittery vs Brewer vs Gardiner
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Kittery has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.1%).
Brewer has the most kids (20.9% under 18).
Gardiner has the most affordable homes ($222k median).
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 | Brewer | Gardiner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 10,473Highest |
9,652 |
6,088Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.1%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2.8% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.8±2.3Highest 4% above ME |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
42±3.6 6% below ME |
| Kittery and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
16.6%±3.6 ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
19.7%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Kittery and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 46%Highest ME: 36.2% |
35% ME: 36.2% |
29.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.1%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $93,728±$14kHighest 25% above ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
$71,782±$10k 4% below ME |
| Kittery and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
$245,300±$21k 17% below ME |
$221,600±$19kLowest 25% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
$1,086±$54Lowest 5% below ME |
$1,113±$191 about the ME average |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,518Highest 49% above ME |
$3,374 11% above ME |
$2,742Lowest 10% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 38.8%±14.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
44.6%±13.7 ME: 48.4% |
| Brewer and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
10.5% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 67.2% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
68.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1965Highest 12 yrs older than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
1944Lowest 33 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 20 min 19% below ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
30 minHighest 22% above ME |
| Work from home | 22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
13.9%±4.1 ME: 15.9% |
| Kittery and Gardiner 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 | #32 of 133 in ME | #36 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Kittery Public Schools | Brewer Public Schools | RSU 11/MSAD 11 |
| High school in town | Robert W Traip Academy | Brewer High School | Gardiner Area High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 9.9Lowest |
14.0Highest |
11.8 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.