What stands out worked out from the figures below

Scarborough has grown the fastest since 2010 (+17%).

Kittery has the most affordable homes ($469k median).

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	Scarborough	Kittery
People
Population	23,215Highest	10,473Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+17%Highest ME: +2.6%	+6.1%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	48.8±2.7Highest 9% above ME	46.8±2.3Lowest 4% above ME
	Scarborough and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.6%±2Highest ME: 18.1%	14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Scarborough and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 22.4%	26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4%
	Kittery and Scarborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	57.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	46%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1.3Highest ME: 5.8%	4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Scarborough and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$133,558±$21kHighest 79% above ME	$93,728±$14kLowest 25% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$551,900±$39kHighest 86% above ME	$468,500±$31kLowest 58% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,956±$178Highest 72% above ME	$1,716±$224Lowest 51% above ME
	Scarborough and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,978Highest 97% above ME	$4,518Lowest 49% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.9%±13.1Highest ME: 48.4%	38.8%±14.9Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Scarborough and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%	6.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.4%Highest ME: 74.3%	67.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME	1965Lowest 12 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 21% below ME	20 minHighest 19% below ME
Work from home	24.6%±4.2Highest ME: 15.9%	22.7%±7.2Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Scarborough 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	#35 of 133 in ME	#17 of 133 in ME
School district	Scarborough Public Schools	Kittery Public Schools
High school in town	Scarborough High School	Robert W Traip Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Highest	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.