Compare towns
Portsmouth vs New Castle vs Kittery vs Eliot
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Portsmouth has the most renters (48.1% rent).
New Castle has the most expensive homes ($1701k median).
Kittery has the shortest commute (20 min average).
Eliot has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.3%).
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 | Portsmouth | New Castle | Kittery | Eliot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 22,545Highest |
827Lowest |
10,473 |
7,146 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
+3.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+6.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
+8.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 42.9±2Lowest 10% above U.S. |
62.8±6Highest 61% above U.S. |
46.8±2.3 20% above U.S. |
50.8±5.9 31% above U.S. |
| Kids under 18 | 14%±1.9 U.S.: 22% |
12.9%±7.1Lowest U.S.: 22% |
14.7%±2.9 U.S.: 22% |
16.3%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Eliot and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 21.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
44.3%±16.1Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
26.9%±4.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
27.8%±6.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
| New Castle and Eliot are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 64% U.S.: 35.7% |
68.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
46% U.S.: 35.7% |
43.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.8%±1.2 U.S.: 6.4% |
0.6%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.5%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
2%±1.4 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Kittery and Portsmouth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $106,219±$7k 32% above U.S. |
$176,953±$29kHighest 119% above U.S. |
$93,728±$14kLowest 16% above U.S. |
$101,522±$10k 26% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $688,500±$39k 107% above U.S. |
$1,701,300±$267kHighest 411% above U.S. |
$468,500±$31kLowest 41% above U.S. |
$498,900±$62k 50% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,869±$111 32% above U.S. |
$3,501Highest 148% above U.S. |
$1,716±$224Lowest 21% above U.S. |
$1,948±$471 38% above U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $8,018 157% above U.S. |
$8,509Highest 173% above U.S. |
$4,518Lowest 45% above U.S. |
$4,549 46% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 50.4%±7.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
0%±85.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
38.8%±14.9 U.S.: 51.1% |
55.1%±20.1Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Eliot and Portsmouth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 6.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
6.4% U.S.: 12.5% |
4.8% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 51.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
93%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
67.2% U.S.: 65.2% |
79.8% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S. |
1975 5 yrs older than U.S. |
1965 15 yrs older than U.S. |
1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 22 min 16% below U.S. |
33 minHighest 23% above U.S. |
20 minLowest 24% below U.S. |
23 min 15% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 21.9%±4 U.S.: 15.1% |
40.1%±19.4Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
22.7%±7.2 U.S.: 15.1% |
17.4%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| New Castle 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 | #11 of 120 in NH | — | #17 of 133 in ME | #19 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Portsmouth School District | New Castle School District | Kittery Public Schools | RSU 35/MSAD 35 |
| High school in town | Portsmouth High School | None in town | Robert W Traip Academy | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.4Highest |
— | 9.9Lowest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.