Compare towns
Kittery vs Ware vs Saco
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 people working from home (22.7%).
Ware has the most affordable homes ($290k median).
Saco has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.3%).
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 | Ware | Saco |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 10,473 |
10,048Lowest |
20,819Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 46.8±2.3Highest 20% above U.S. |
43.1±4.7Lowest 11% above U.S. |
44.9±1.5 15% above U.S. |
| Kittery and Saco 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% |
19.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22% |
16.7%±2.5 U.S.: 22% |
| Ware and Saco 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% |
20.6%±3.4 U.S.: 17.2% |
18.5%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Kittery and Ware are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 46%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
24%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
43.5% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±1.5 U.S.: 6.4% |
4.4%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Saco 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 16% above U.S. |
$67,475±$15kLowest 16% below U.S. |
$92,241±$11k 14% above U.S. |
| Kittery and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $468,500±$31kHighest 41% above U.S. |
$289,700±$28kLowest 13% below U.S. |
$413,100±$17k 24% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,716±$224Highest 21% above U.S. |
$1,043±$109Lowest 26% below U.S. |
$1,249±$385 12% below U.S. |
| Kittery and Saco 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. |
$4,237Lowest 36% above U.S. |
$4,807Highest 54% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 38.8%±14.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
64.3%±16.2Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
50.3%±14 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Ware and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
11.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 67.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
72.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
72.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1965 15 yrs older than U.S. |
1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S. |
1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 20 minLowest 24% below U.S. |
28 minHighest 8% above U.S. |
24 min 10% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 22.7%±7.2Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
12.3%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
19%±3.6 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Kittery and Saco 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 | #267 of 282 in MA | #38 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Kittery Public Schools | Ware | Saco Public Schools |
| High school in town | Robert W Traip Academy | Ware Junior/Senior High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 9.9Lowest |
11.1Highest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.