Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Kittery grades B+ overall, 43rd among Maine's 142 graded towns. It is healthier than 82% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $684K for a typical one and 7.4 times the Portland metro’s $92K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 17 places on the National Register. Only 18 of Maine’s 285 towns score higher on walkability. Its National Register listings include Lady Pepperrell House and Fort McClary. Only 26 of Maine’s 285 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where Kittery beats most towns.
Lady Pepperrell House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 3,259 in 1790, a low of 1,886 in 1820, 10,070 in 2020. The archive holds 35 old photos and papers going back to 1805 and 7 maps from 1893 on.
17 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Kittery is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kittery. Close and well known come first.
33 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
11 mi LighthouseCape Neddick Light
9 mi MuseumStrawbery Banke
7 mi LandmarkFort William and Mary
36 mi Theme parkCanobie Lake Park
36 mi MuseumPeabody Essex MuseumAmerica's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cape Neddick Light: Stefan Hillebrand, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Strawbery Banke: Ken Gallager (Ken Gallager from en.wikipedia), Public domain · Fort William and Mary: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Canobie Lake Park: Alex1961, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Peabody Essex Museum: Fletcher6, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kittery, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Kittery.
Kittery sends many workers across the state line to Portsmouth and gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of Maine; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Maine.
At 7.4 years of the Portland metro’s $92K median household income, the typical home (about $685K) costs more against local pay than in 89% of Maine towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
At $1,716 a month, Kittery’s median rent is where Maine’s towns sit at $1,106 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. 67% of Kittery households own their home. The typical Kittery home is worth about $685,000, up 4.1% in a year, 66% above the Maine typical home.
| Kittery | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,716 a month | $1,106 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 81% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Kittery Public Schools. Its three schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shapleigh SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–8 | Grades 4–8 | 357 | B |
| Robert W Traip AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 294 | A+ |
| Horace Mitchell Primary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 315 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Kittery, below both Maine’s towns (33%) and U.S. towns (36%). 29% of adults feel lonely in Kittery. Kittery beats the Maine average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Kittery | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Kittery | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.7% | 14.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.6% | 10.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.5% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in Kittery is 0.3 per 1,000 residents. Maine has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Kittery sits closer to the middle.
| Kittery | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.4 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Eliot weather station, 11 miles away, records that 56 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 95% of Maine places with climate records. July afternoons average 80.1°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 91% of Maine places with climate records; January nights average 16.2°.
Kittery has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. No town among the 143 in Maine we compare has a higher January low than Kittery. Kittery’s July high is 80°F.
| Kittery | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 80°F | 79°F | 85°F |
| January low | 16°F | 10°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
32% of working residents cross a state line to work, Portsmouth among the top destinations. Kittery has about as many jobs (3,934) as working residents, but only 707 people both live and work here.
About one in 5 of Kittery’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Kittery has added 407 jobs, to 3,934 in 2023. The top destinations are Portsmouth (16%), York (8%) and Portland (4%).
| Kittery | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $94,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Kittery.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
24 miles of trail in 22 parks and preserves. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, at 527 acres with 1.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Kittery | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.5% | 4.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Norton Preserve | 2.9 mi | 189 |
| 2. Kittery Town Forest | 1.8 mi | 69 |
| 3. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge | 1.7 mi | 527 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
People 65 and older are 27% of residents (22% statewide). Kittery has grown 13% since 2020, to 11,420 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 46% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Maine.
| Kittery | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 27% | 21% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 15% | 18% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 46% | 32% | 29% |
| Median age | 46.8 years | 44.9 years | 40.5 years |
54% women, 46% men
About 85 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.1 points). Across Maine, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Kittery | ME | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.9% | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.9% | 8.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.2% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.1% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.1% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.2% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.9% | 15.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.6% | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.3% | 8.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.7% | 30.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.5% | 18.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.8% | 10.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.1% | 22.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.9% | 13.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of Kittery
About 5 of every 100 Kittery residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maine.
Coastal flooding makes up 17% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
17 places in Kittery on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Kittery.
Town in Maine, United States
Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States, the oldest incorporated town in the state. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, the village of Kittery, and part of the Isles of Shoals. The southernmost town in the state, it is a tourist destination known for its many outlet stores. Kittery is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. The town's population was 10,070 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Kittery.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kittery | #43 | B+ | D | B+ | B | A− |
| York | #7 | A | C− | A | A | A− |
| Eliot | #11 | A | D | A+ | A− | A− |
| South Eliot | — | — | — | — | — | — |
South Eliot isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Kittery with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Kittery grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #43 of 142 in Maine. It grades A− for health, B+ for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Maine has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Kittery sits nearer the middle.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
11 notable people were born here, including John O'Hurley and William Whipple.
