Compare towns
Wells vs Kittery vs West Bath
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Wells has grown the fastest since 2010 (+18%).
Kittery has the most people working from home (22.7%).
West Bath has the highest household income ($103k).
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 | Wells | Kittery | West Bath |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 11,713Highest |
10,473 |
1,863Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +18%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+6.1% ME: +2.6% |
+1.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 53.6±3.8 20% above ME |
46.8±2.3Lowest 4% above ME |
54.2±5.6Highest 21% above ME |
| West Bath and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 18%±3.4Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±4.2Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Wells and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 31%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
26.9%±4.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
29.4%±4.2 ME: 22.4% |
| Wells and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 43.3%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
46% ME: 36.2% |
50.7%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
| West Bath and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $88,024±$11kLowest 18% above ME |
$93,728±$14k 25% above ME |
$103,333±$27kHighest 38% above ME |
| West Bath and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $485,300±$23kHighest 64% above ME |
$468,500±$31k 58% above ME |
$422,800±$102kLowest 43% above ME |
| Wells and Kittery are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,350±$297 19% above ME |
$1,716±$224Highest 51% above ME |
$1,112±$327Lowest about the ME average |
| Kittery and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,215Lowest 6% above ME |
$4,518Highest 49% above ME |
$3,516 16% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 42.1%±19.6Highest ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
41.1%±26.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Wells and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.8%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4% ME: 10.7% |
3.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 90.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
67.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.3% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1989Highest 12 yrs newer than ME |
1965Lowest 12 yrs older than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 minHighest 12% above ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
21 min 16% below ME |
| Work from home | 17.8%±4.2 ME: 15.9% |
22.7%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
17.1%±6.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Kittery and Wells 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 | #22 of 133 in ME | #17 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Wells-Ogunquit CSD | Kittery Public Schools | West Bath Public Schools |
| High school in town | Wells High School | Robert W Traip Academy | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.4Highest |
9.9Lowest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.