What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newton has the highest household income ($138k).

Kennebunk has the most people working from home (32.5%).

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	Newton	Kennebunk
People
Population	4,836Lowest	11,820Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47.8±5.7Lowest 23% above U.S.	54.6±3.3Highest 40% above U.S.
	Kennebunk and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Kennebunk and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30%±4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	51.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Newton and Kennebunk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$138,487±$29kHighest 72% above U.S.	$107,804±$8kLowest 34% above U.S.
	Newton and Kennebunk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$459,500±$18kLowest 38% above U.S.	$487,700±$21kHighest 47% above U.S.
	Kennebunk and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,683±$96Highest 19% above U.S.	$1,425±$290Lowest about the U.S. average
	Newton and Kennebunk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,124Highest 160% above U.S.	$4,999Lowest 60% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62%±41.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.1%±10.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Newton and Kennebunk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	80.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1983 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	18.1%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.5%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#70 of 120 in NH	#9 of 133 in ME
School district	Sanborn Regional School District	RSU 21
High school in town	None in town	Kennebunk High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.6
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.