What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lawrence has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.7%).

Kittery has the most people working from home (22.7%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Lawrence	Kittery
People
Population	88,736Highest	10,473Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S.	46.8±2.3Highest 20% above U.S.
Kids under 18	26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%	14.7%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26.9%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lawrence and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,433±$3kLowest 25% below U.S.	$93,728±$14kHighest 16% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$415,200±$23kLowest 25% above U.S.	$468,500±$31kHighest 41% above U.S.
	Kittery and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,662±$50Lowest 18% above U.S.	$1,716±$224Highest 21% above U.S.
	Kittery and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,422Lowest 10% above U.S.	$4,518Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.8%±14.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	17.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	67.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 30 yrs older than U.S.	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 13% below U.S.	20 minLowest 24% below U.S.
Work from home	6.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±7.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#278 of 282 in MA	#17 of 133 in ME
School district	Lawrence	Kittery Public Schools
High school in town	Lawrence High School	Robert W Traip Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	9.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.