Compare towns
Kittery vs Topsham vs Williston
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 most renters (32.8% rent).
Topsham has the most affordable homes ($361k median).
Williston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.2%).
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 | Topsham | Williston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 10,473Highest |
9,706Lowest |
10,144 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+8.8% U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 46.8±2.3Highest 20% above U.S. |
44.7±4Lowest 15% above U.S. |
45.4±4.5 17% above U.S. |
| Kittery and Williston 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% |
19.9%±3.6 U.S.: 22% |
20.5%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Williston and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 26.9%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
24.4%±3.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
21%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Kittery and Topsham 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% |
50% U.S.: 35.7% |
54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.9%±1.8 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.7%±2.7Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Williston and Topsham 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 16% above U.S. |
$91,028±$10kLowest 13% above U.S. |
$106,967±$12kHighest 32% above U.S. |
| Williston 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 41% above U.S. |
$360,800±$20kLowest 8% above U.S. |
$475,800±$40kHighest 43% above U.S. |
| Williston 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. |
$1,355±$642Lowest 4% below U.S. |
$1,832±$130Highest 30% above U.S. |
| Williston and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,518 45% above U.S. |
$4,259Lowest 37% above U.S. |
$5,592Highest 79% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 38.8%±14.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
40.3%±12.9 U.S.: 51.1% |
46.9%±17.4Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Williston and Topsham 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% |
6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 67.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
78.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
75.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S. |
1980 same as U.S. |
1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 20 min 24% below U.S. |
24 minHighest 11% below U.S. |
20 minLowest 25% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 22.7%±7.2Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
17.2%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
22.3%±7.6 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Kittery and Williston 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 | #66 of 133 in ME | #11 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Kittery Public Schools | RSU 75/MSAD 75 | Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56 |
| High school in town | Robert W Traip Academy | Mt Ararat High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 9.9Lowest |
12.2Highest |
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| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet | None yet |
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.