Compare towns
Waterville vs Kittery
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Waterville has the most affordable homes ($185k 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.
| Measure | Waterville | Kittery |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 17,077Highest |
10,473Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +0.7%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME |
46.8±2.3Highest 4% above ME |
| Kids under 18 | 14.4%±2.4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Kittery and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Age 65+ | 18.3%±2.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 30.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
46%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 18.1%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME |
$93,728±$14kHighest 25% above ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $184,600±$21kLowest 38% below ME |
$468,500±$31kHighest 58% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $978±$72Lowest 14% below ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,755Lowest 9% below ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 50.5%±8.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Waterville and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 20.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
67.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1965Highest 12 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 18 minLowest 27% below ME |
20 minHighest 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 16.6%±5.6Lowest ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Kittery and Waterville 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 | #105 of 133 in ME | #17 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Waterville Public Schools | Kittery Public Schools |
| High school in town | Waterville Senior High School | Robert W Traip Academy |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.8Highest |
9.9Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | ||
| Old photos in History | 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.