Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety86#2,143/15,637
Economy72#4,437/15,631
Housing48#7,829/14,977
Health70#4,631/15,609
Healthcare75#3,908/15,650
Environment75#3,837/15,453
Education96#666/15,649
Infrastructure87#2,073/15,650
Community80#3,118/15,651
Leisure & amenities85#2,275/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Kittery, Maine ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “York County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

High school diploma or higher · high94.0%
98/100Maine 94.8%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.4 µg/m³
94/100Maine 4.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyYork County value
Average commute time · low15.9 min
93/100Maine 24.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Food insecurity · low8.2%
91/100Maine 11.5%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Mental health care shortage · low0.0
91/100Maine 5.2United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationYork County value
Students per teacher · low11.4×
90/100Maine 11.2×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsYork County value

Weaknesses

Drought exposure · high92%
5/100Maine 75%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAYork County value
Distance to an emergency room · high12.2 mi
11/100Maine 8.6 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesYork County value
Comfortable days · low23.5%
14/100Maine 21.2%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationYork County value
Home price to income ratio · high5.4×
16/100Maine 4.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Social associations · low7.0 /10k
22/100Maine 10.7 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteYork County value
Drug overdose deaths · high21.0 /100k
28/100Maine 24.7 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataYork County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
4,829 (2015-2019) → 5,110 (2020-2024)
+5.8%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Average commute timeImproving
22.8 min (2015-2019) → 15.9 min (2020-2024)
−30%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
86.2% (2015-2019) → 91.8% (2020-2024)
+5.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Poverty rateImproving
9.4% (2015-2019) → 4.0% (2020-2024)
−5.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$67,316 (2015-2019) → $84,730 (2020-2024)
+26%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
44.3% (2015-2019) → 39.1% (2020-2024)
−5.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Kittery, Maine improved on 0 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Kittery, Maine between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.8 min2015-2019	15.9 min2020-2024	−6.9 min	Within the margin of error	95%
Bachelor's degree or higher	43.5%2015-2019	47.3%2020-2024	+3.8 points	Within the margin of error	58%
Broadband subscriptions	86.2%2015-2019	91.8%2020-2024	+5.6 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Effective property tax rate	1.38%2015-2019	1.00%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	82%
High school diploma or higher	96.3%2015-2019	94.0%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Home price to income ratio	4.4×2015-2019	5.4×2020-2024	+1.0×	Within the margin of error	21%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4312015-2019	0.4072020-2024	−0.023	Within the margin of error	70%
Median household income	$67,3162015-2019	$84,7302020-2024	+26%	Within the margin of error	46%
Rent as share of income	26.9%2015-2019	27.2%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Rent-burdened households	44.3%2015-2019	39.1%2020-2024	−5.2 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.8%2015-2019	6.1%2020-2024	−4.7 points	Within the margin of error	85%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Kittery, Maine five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Kittery, Maine in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Kittery, Maine itself moved +3.5 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

5,110 residents (±531)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 men (−4.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

5,110 residents (±531)

Kittery, Maine
Maine share

White85%4,362
Black1.8%†91
Hispanic or Latino6.4%†329

Education

3,812 residents (±493)

Kittery, Maine
Maine share

No high school diploma6.0%†228
High school or GED15%†569
Some college23%866

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,532 households (±398)

Kittery, Maine
Maine share

Under $25k7.0%†176
$25k–50k26%†669
$50k–75k12%†311
$75k–100k13%†334
$100k–150k21%†526
$150k–200k12%†310
$200k or more8.1%†206

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $150k–200k (+7.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,532 households (±398)

Kittery, Maine
Maine share

Own55%1,400
Rent45%1,132

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

1,114 households (±303)

Kittery, Maine
Maine share

Under $7505.7%†64
$750–1,0007.5%†84
$1,000–1,50029%†318

Home values

1,400 homes (±366)

Kittery, Maine
Maine share

Under $150k3.9%†54
$150k–250k4.6%†64
$250k–400k27%†382

Age of homes

2,824 homes (±415)

Kittery, Maine
Maine share

2010 or later3.8%†106
2000–200923%†655
1980–19997.7%†218

Size of homes

2,824 homes (±415)

Kittery, Maine
Maine share

Studio13%†377
1 bedroom5.1%†145
2 bedrooms40%†1,122

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,552 workers (±343)

Kittery, Maine
Maine share

Drive alone52%1,322
Carpool11%†272
Public transit0.0%†1
Walk13%†342
Bike0.7%†19
Work from home21%†542
Other2.1%†54

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+14.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,010 workers (±329)

Kittery, Maine
Maine share

Under 15 min54%1,087
15–29 min37%746
30–44 min5.7%†115

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Portland-South Portland, ME

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of York County, the county holding most of Kittery's residents.

York County has 5,914 employer establishments, 269 for every 10,000 residents (1.08× the US rate of 248; 0.87× Maine's), with 56,640 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,753. The Census Bureau also counts 20,568 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 5,914; 20,568 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 269; US 248 · Maine 309
Paid employees: 56,640
Average annual pay: $55,753; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of York County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	642	29.2	1.89×More than typical	2,868	$65,352	2,242
Restaurants and other eating places	525	23.9	1.30×More than typical	6,521	$36,609	70
Ambulatory health care services	337	15.3	0.74×Fewer than typical	3,620	$65,816	945
Services to buildings and dwellings	288	13.1	1.94×More than typical	1,164	$54,157	1,361
Construction of buildings	282	12.8	1.70×More than typical	950	$67,689	942
Lessors of real estate	263	12	0.97×About typical	578	$50,465	2,318
Full-service restaurants	256	11.6	1.52×More than typical	3,681	$44,255	34
Building equipment contractors	253	11.5	1.91×More than typical	1,240	$67,856	448
Landscaping services	185	8.4	2.40×More than typical	745	$65,642	453
Limited-service restaurants	174	7.9	0.99×About typical	1,803	$28,030	29
Traveler accommodation	169	7.7	4.26×More than typical	1,284	$69,870	121
Automotive repair and maintenance	151	6.9	1.36×More than typical	600	$56,785	201

Rank places for an industry Open York County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 219,839 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $51.2M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Kittery, Maine: $10,027 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $51.2M; −73% vs FY2025
Per resident: $10,027; US $1,994
Sole-source: 18%; US 30%
Single offer: 5.5%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Navy$50.5M99%
Defense Information Systems Agency$399.9K0.8%
Defense Logistics Agency$204.4K0.4%
Defense Health Agency$40.1K0.1%
Department of Veterans Affairs$30.7K0.1%
Department of the Army$18.1K0.0%
Federal Acquisition Service$10.2K0.0%
Federal Prison Industries / Unicor$4,1220.0%

Top recipients

381 CONSTRUCTORS$16.9M33%
CIANBRO CORPORATION$4.8M9.4%
ENGINEERED CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, INC.$3.5M6.9%
ARMITAGE SAI JV$2.8M5.5%
ORBIS SIBRO INC$2.6M5.1%

Spending by fiscal year

57.8MFY2017
56.4MFY2018
81.4MFY2019
107.1MFY2020
94.7MFY2021
189.7MFY2022
176.5MFY2023
181M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$20.5M40%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$7.7M15%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$6.2M12%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$4.8M9.3%
Ship and boat building · 3366$2.6M5.1%
Facilities support services · 5612

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Kittery, Maine, so they do not add up across cities.

Kittery, Maine's figures are part of those of York County, ME ($245.2M in FY2026), never added to them: 21% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Kittery is mostly in York County.

See federal money in York County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Kittery, Maine is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Chellie PingreeD-ME-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 4.4%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

York County93100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Portland-South Portland, ME97

Other cities and towns in York County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2337235

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends