Compare towns
Kittery vs Mapleton vs Ellsworth vs Gray
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%).
Mapleton has the most affordable homes ($192k median).
Ellsworth has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).
Gray has the most homeowners (82.4%).
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 | Mapleton | Ellsworth | Gray |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 10,473Highest |
1,884Lowest |
8,657 |
8,429 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.1% ME: +2.6% |
-3.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+8.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+6.5% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.8±2.3Highest 4% above ME |
41.8±6Lowest 7% below ME |
43±2.4 4% below ME |
43.4±4.5 3% below ME |
| Kittery and Gray 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% |
22.2%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
19%±4 ME: 18.1% |
| Mapleton and Gray 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% |
18.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3 ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4 ME: 22.4% |
| Kittery and Ellsworth 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% |
34.3%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
39.3% ME: 36.2% |
44.8% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±2.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Gray and Ellsworth 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 |
$91,731±$25k 23% above ME |
$77,375±$18kLowest 4% above ME |
$95,236±$8kHighest 27% above ME |
| Gray 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±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
$191,800±$23kLowest 35% below ME |
$242,300±$22k 18% below ME |
$363,700±$20k 23% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
$610±$277Lowest 46% below ME |
$1,017±$195 11% below ME |
$1,371±$89 20% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,518Highest 49% above ME |
$1,789Lowest 41% below ME |
$3,262 7% above ME |
$3,683 21% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 38.8%±14.9 ME: 48.4% |
16.7%±10.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±24 ME: 48.4% |
| Ellsworth and Gray 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% |
8.9% ME: 10.7% |
9.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
3.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 67.2% ME: 74.3% |
79.9% ME: 74.3% |
66.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1965Lowest 12 yrs older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 20 minLowest 19% below ME |
28 min 13% above ME |
25 min about the ME average |
29 minHighest 16% above ME |
| Work from home | 22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
10.8%±3.8 ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
| Kittery and Gray 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 | #10 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Kittery Public Schools | RSU 79/MSAD 01 | Ellsworth Public Schools | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences |
| High school in town | Robert W Traip Academy | None in town | Ellsworth High School | Gray-New Gloucester High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 9.9Lowest |
— | 12.7Highest |
12.5 |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.