Compare towns
Kittery vs Upton vs Ellsworth
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).
Upton has the highest household income ($156k).
Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k 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 | Upton | Ellsworth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 10,473Highest |
8,189Lowest |
8,657 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+6.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+8.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 46.8±2.3Highest 20% above U.S. |
46.4±4.8 19% above U.S. |
43±2.4Lowest 11% above U.S. |
| Kittery and Upton 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% |
23.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22% |
18.4%±3.5 U.S.: 22% |
| Upton and Ellsworth 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% |
20.7%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
22.1%±3.3 U.S.: 17.2% |
| 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% U.S.: 35.7% |
53.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
39.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±1.5 U.S.: 6.4% |
2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.3%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| 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 16% above U.S. |
$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S. |
$77,375±$18kLowest 4% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $468,500±$31k 41% above U.S. |
$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S. |
$242,300±$22kLowest 27% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,716±$224Highest 21% above U.S. |
$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S. |
$1,017±$195 28% below U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,518 45% above U.S. |
$8,376Highest 169% above U.S. |
$3,262Lowest 5% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 38.8%±14.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
52.8%±31 U.S.: 51.1% |
62.1%±15.7Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Ellsworth and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.4% U.S.: 12.5% |
3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
9.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 67.2% U.S.: 65.2% |
86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
66.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S. |
1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S. |
1980 same as U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 20 minLowest 24% below U.S. |
35 minHighest 34% above U.S. |
25 min 7% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 22.7%±7.2 U.S.: 15.1% |
22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
7.1%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Upton and Kittery 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 | #46 of 282 in MA | #63 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Kittery Public Schools | Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton | Ellsworth Public Schools |
| High school in town | Robert W Traip Academy | Blackstone Valley | Ellsworth High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 9.9Lowest |
11.2 |
12.7Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | 5 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.