Compare towns
Kittery vs Williston vs Bennington
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 oldest population (median age 46.8).
Williston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.2%).
Bennington has the most affordable homes ($213k 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 | Williston | Bennington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 10,473 |
10,144Lowest |
15,249Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 46.8±2.3Highest 20% above U.S. |
45.4±4.5 17% above U.S. |
44.7±2.3Lowest 15% 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% |
20.5%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
17.7%±2.3 U.S.: 22% |
| Williston and Bennington 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% |
21%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
25.2%±2.8 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Kittery and Bennington 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% |
54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.7%±2.7 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Bennington and Williston 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. |
$106,967±$12kHighest 32% above U.S. |
$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below 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. |
$475,800±$40kHighest 43% above U.S. |
$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below 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. |
$1,832±$130Highest 30% above U.S. |
$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below 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. |
$5,592Highest 79% above U.S. |
$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 38.8%±14.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
46.9%±17.4 U.S.: 51.1% |
68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Bennington and Williston 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% |
4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 67.2% U.S.: 65.2% |
75.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1965 15 yrs older than U.S. |
1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S. |
1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 20 minHighest 24% below U.S. |
20 min 25% below U.S. |
17 minLowest 35% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 22.7%±7.2Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
22.3%±7.6 U.S.: 15.1% |
15.1%±4.4Lowest 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 | #11 of 70 in VT | #58 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Kittery Public Schools | Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56 | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 |
| High school in town | Robert W Traip Academy | None in town | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 9.9Lowest |
— | 14.7Highest |
| 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.