Compare towns
Sanford vs Kittery
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Sanford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+125.2%).
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.
| Measure | Sanford | Kittery |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 22,247Highest |
10,473Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +125.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 42.1±2.8Lowest 6% below ME |
46.8±2.3Highest 4% above ME |
| Kittery and Sanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Kids under 18 | 19.3%±2.2Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Sanford and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Age 65+ | 20.8%±2.3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Kittery and Sanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 24.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
46%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.5%±0.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Kittery and Sanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $72,524±$7kLowest about the ME average |
$93,728±$14kHighest 25% above ME |
| Kittery and Sanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $280,200±$10kLowest 6% below ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,152±$72Lowest about the ME average |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,708Lowest 22% above ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 45.5%±7.9Highest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Sanford and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 10.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 71.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
67.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975Highest 2 yrs older than ME |
1965Lowest 12 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 28 minHighest 14% above ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 9.8%±2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #100 of 133 in ME | #17 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Sanford Public Schools | Kittery Public Schools |
| High school in town | Sanford High School | Robert W Traip Academy |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 17.7Highest |
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.