What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rockland has the most affordable homes ($246k median).

Kittery has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.1%).

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	Rockland	Kittery
People
Population	7,035Lowest	10,473Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.9%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+6.1%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	49.3±6Highest 10% above ME	46.8±2.3Lowest 4% above ME
	Rockland and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.5%±3.7Highest ME: 18.1%	14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Rockland and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.4%±4.2Lowest ME: 22.4%	26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4%
	Kittery and Rockland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%	46%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±2.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.5%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Kittery and Rockland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,533±$6kLowest 24% below ME	$93,728±$14kHighest 25% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,800±$38kLowest 17% below ME	$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,092±$105Lowest 4% below ME	$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,059Lowest 34% above ME	$4,518Highest 49% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±15.3Highest ME: 48.4%	38.8%±14.9Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Rockland and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.4%Highest ME: 10.7%	6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62%Lowest ME: 74.3%	67.2%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1948Lowest 29 yrs older than ME	1965Highest 12 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	12 minLowest 50% below ME	20 minHighest 19% below ME
Work from home	22.1%±7.5Lowest ME: 15.9%	22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Kittery and Rockland 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	#96 of 133 in ME	#17 of 133 in ME
School district	Rockland-Region 8 · RSU 13	Kittery Public Schools
High school in town	Oceanside High School	Robert W Traip Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Highest	9.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

ME 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.