What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salem has the highest household income ($110k).

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	Salem	Kittery
People
Population	30,964Highest	10,473Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.6±2.7Lowest 15% above U.S.	46.8±2.3Highest 20% above U.S.
	Kittery and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±2.1Highest U.S.: 22%	14.7%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Salem and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.6%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26.9%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Kittery and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,490±$9kHighest 37% above U.S.	$93,728±$14kLowest 16% above U.S.
	Salem and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,300±$16kHighest 42% above U.S.	$468,500±$31kLowest 41% above U.S.
	Salem and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,625±$146Lowest 15% above U.S.	$1,716±$224Highest 21% above U.S.
	Kittery and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,992Highest 124% above U.S.	$4,518Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.5%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.8%±14.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Salem and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	67.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.	20 minLowest 24% below U.S.
Work from home	16.3%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±7.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Kittery and Salem 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	#38 of 120 in NH	#17 of 133 in ME
School district	Salem School District	Kittery Public Schools
High school in town	Salem High School	Robert W Traip Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	9.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.