Compare towns
Kittery vs Ellsworth vs South Eliot
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Kittery has the most people working from home (22.7%).
Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k median).
South Eliot has the most homeowners (79.9%).
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 | Ellsworth | South Eliot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 10,473Highest |
8,657 |
4,203Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.1% ME: +2.6% |
+8.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.8±2.3 4% above ME |
43±2.4Lowest 4% below ME |
55.5±8Highest 24% above ME |
| South Eliot and Kittery 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% |
18.4%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.2%±4.7 ME: 18.1% |
| Ellsworth and South Eliot are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 26.9%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
32.8%±6.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
| South Eliot and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 46% ME: 36.2% |
39.3%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
49.9%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.2%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Ellsworth 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±$14k 25% above ME |
$77,375±$18kLowest 4% above ME |
$99,299±$9kHighest 33% above ME |
| South Eliot and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $468,500±$31k 58% above ME |
$242,300±$22kLowest 18% below ME |
$475,600±$52kHighest 60% above ME |
| South Eliot 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 51% above ME |
$1,017±$195Lowest 11% below ME |
$2,155±$292Highest 89% above ME |
| South Eliot and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,518Highest 49% above ME |
$3,262Lowest 7% above ME |
$4,442 46% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 38.8%±14.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7 ME: 48.4% |
64.3%±29.1Highest ME: 48.4% |
| South Eliot and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.4% ME: 10.7% |
9.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
5.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 67.2% ME: 74.3% |
66.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
79.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1965Lowest 12 yrs older than ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
1973 4 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 20 minLowest 19% below ME |
25 minHighest about the ME average |
21 min 16% below ME |
| Work from home | 22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
14.2%±4.5 ME: 15.9% |
| Kittery and South Eliot 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 | #63 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Kittery Public Schools | Ellsworth Public Schools | — |
| High school in town | Robert W Traip Academy | Ellsworth 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 |
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.