Welcome to Eliot, Maine, Settled 1623, clipper Nightengale, 2012
South Eliot’s story
172 years in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 5 maps from 1916 on.
- 1854South Eliot is settled
South EliotME
The town was settled in 1854 and has 4,203 residents today.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
4,203
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$476K
Census ACS
Household income
$99K
median
Median age
55.5
years
Jobs based here
507
A commuter town
Settled
1854
172 years ago
Is South Eliot a good place to live?
South Eliot’s rent at the middle of the market is $2,155 a month, above both Maine’s towns ($1,106 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Among 144 Maine towns, just 6 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than South Eliot. The biggest park or preserve is Douglas Memorial Woods, at 28 acres. We don’t grade South Eliot yet; the figures below are still real.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave South Eliot for work
Where South Eliot’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
507jobs based in South Eliot
4%of working residents work in town
7 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
The data
Ordered by what stands out in South Eliot.
Work & commute
Most of South Eliot’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
4%work in town
The top destinations are Portsmouth (14%), Eliot (11%) and Kittery (10%). Most working residents leave South Eliot for work: only 4% work in town. The mean commuting time for South Eliot comes to 21 minutes. Jobs based in South Eliot grew to 507 in 2023, 101 more than in 2013.
| South Eliot | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $99,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.5% | 9% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 14% | 14% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In South Eliot4%
Portsmouth14%
Eliot11%
Kittery10%
York8%
7 mi
median commute distance
507
jobs based in South Eliot
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Low risk in South Eliot, with inland flooding at the top
31risk score of 100
Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 69% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in South Eliot, 49% come from inland flooding and 25% from hurricanes.
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesIce storms
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In South Eliot, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
56″snow a winter
South Eliot’s July high stands at 81°F.
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–36°
Spring35–55°
Summer58–78°
Fall41–60°
Oct 8
typical first frost
May 4
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy South Eliot is
25% of South Eliot adults have been diagnosed with depression. The town does better than the Maine average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 1. In South Eliot, 29% of adults feel lonely, and 16% report frequent mental distress.
| South Eliot | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 23% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Maine
11 better20 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | South Eliot | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.3% | 14.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.3% | 10.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.4% | 9.9% |
Portsmouth Regional Hospital
4.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
South Eliot has set aside 1.4% of its land for conservation
1.4%conserved
Count the trails in 4 parks and preserves and they come to 2.4 miles. South Eliot’s trail density comes in at 0.3 miles per square mile.
| South Eliot | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
1.4%
conserved · 69 of 4,839 acres
2.4 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Douglas Memorial Woods | 0.9 mi | 28 |
| 2. Dixon Road Recreation Area | — | 23 |
| 3. Frost Tufts Park and Ballpark | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Housing
A home in South Eliot sells for about $670K at the median
$670Kmedian sale price
On the market in South Eliot: a median 44 days to sell. Bidding over the asking price: 40% of homes sold here. Also worth knowing: for households locally, the share who live in a home they own is 80%.
Market temperature
44
days on market
100.2%
sale-to-list price
5
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about South Eliot
16pages on South Eliot
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
Nearby attractions
All 173 attractions →America's Stonehenge and 41 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Eliot. Close and well known come first.
29 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
5 mi MuseumStrawbery Banke
10 mi LighthouseCape Neddick Light
6 mi LandmarkFort William and Mary
33 mi Theme parkCanobie Lake Park
16 mi LighthouseBoon Island LightSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
America's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Strawbery Banke: Ken Gallager (Ken Gallager from en.wikipedia), Public domain · Cape Neddick Light: Stefan Hillebrand, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort William and Mary: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Canobie Lake Park: Alex1961, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Boon Island Light: Originally uploaded by Dk69, Public domain
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Getting set up
Moving to South Eliot: who provides what
South Eliot is unincorporated, so York County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerCentral Maine Power27.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterKittery Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesYork CountyYork County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Maine you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereEliot Town ClerkTown of Eliot; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2026
ZIP code0390303903 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of South Eliot
Great Bay Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Portsmouth, NH4.4 mi$7,200 in-state tuitionUniversity of New HampshireUniversity or college · Public · Durham, NH7 mi$19,202 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 South Eliot residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
About South Eliot
Census-designated place in Maine, United States
South Eliot is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Eliot in York County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, South Eliot had a population of 3,719. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 33 ft
South Eliot’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with South Eliot.
EliotKitteryPortsmouthNewingtonSouth Eliot
How the neighbors grade
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Eliot | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Eliot | #11 | A | D | A+ | A− | A− |
| Kittery | #43 | B+ | D | B+ | B | A− |
South Eliot isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare South Eliot with a neighbor →
Questions about South Eliot
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is South Eliot, ME a good place to live?
We don’t grade South Eliot yet; the figures below are still real.
South Eliot is in here
Say something about South Eliot.
Ask a question, answer one, post a photo or an event. Free, and the parts only a neighbor would know are the parts worth reading.