South Eliot, Maine

Community in York County · population 3,719 (2020 Census)

Median home: $475,600
Household income: $99,299
Jan low / Jul high: 15° / 81°
Snow a year: 56 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 6
Median age: 55.5

South Eliot is a community of 3,719 people in York County, Maine. The median home is worth $475,600, above the typical Maine town ($238,950). It ranks more seaside character than 95% of Maine towns, better for retirees than 89% of Maine towns, more walkable than 88% of Maine towns.

South Eliot in our rankings:

How South Eliot ranks

Percentile among Maine towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Maine towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in South Eliot is worth $475,600, above the typical Maine town ($238,950). Homes cost about 4.8 times the median household income of $99,299, which is more affordable than 15% of Maine towns. Median rent is $2,155 a month. 79.9% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Maine towns with 500+ people.

Housing	South Eliot	Typical Maine town
Median home value	$475,600	$238,950
Median rent	$2,155	$1,027
Median household income	$99,299	$68,967
Home value ÷ income	4.8×	3.4×
Homeownership	79.9%	82.4%
Median year built	1973	1978
Seasonal / vacation homes	2.5%	—

Who lives in South Eliot

People	South Eliot	Typical Maine town
Median age	55.5	46.9
Age 65 and over	32.8%	22.9%
Under 18	15.2%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	49.9%	28.2%
Below the poverty line	5.5%	10.7%
Veterans	8.4%	—
Born outside the U.S.	3.0%	—
Work from home	14.2%	12.3%
Average commute	20.7 min	25.5 min
Homes with broadband	96.5%	90.0%

Weather in South Eliot

July highs average 80.5°F and January lows 14.8°F. About 47.8 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 55.8 inches of snow (typical Maine town: 77.2 in). Expect about 6 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 150 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Durham 2 N station (7.3 mi away); snow from Eliot (2.5 mi).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

6 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of South Eliot since 1950, compared with 2 for the typical Maine town. 4 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on May 3, 1976 about 2.9 miles from the town center. The most recent was on June 9, 1978.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 35 times; the largest was 2.00 inches on August 4, 2015.

Severe weather in York County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, York County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 7 deaths recorded.

York County has been included in 42 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, hurricane, snowstorm.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
May 24, 2024	Winter Storm	DR-4785: Severe Winter Storm
March 20, 2024	Severe Storm	DR-4764: Severe Storms And Flooding
September 14, 2023	Hurricane	EM-3598: Hurricane Lee
March 22, 2023	Severe Storm	DR-4696: Severe Storm And Flooding
March 15, 2022	Coastal Storm	DR-4647: Severe Storm And Flooding

Jobs and pay in York County

York County had 79,378 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $61,811 a year. Unemployment was 2.6% in 2023; in South Eliot itself the ACS puts it at 6.3%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near South Eliot

Eliot, ME
1.2 mi · 6,717 people · home $498,900
Kittery, ME
4.2 mi · 4,973 people · home $461,400
Portsmouth, NH
5.2 mi · 21,956 people · home $688,500
Dover, NH
5.8 mi · 32,741 people · home $436,700
Rollinsford, NH
6.4 mi · 2,597 people · home $398,100
Durham, NH
6.5 mi · 15,490 people · home $504,300
South Berwick, ME
6.6 mi · 3,825 people · home $396,700
Durham, NH
6.7 mi · 11,147 people · home $498,000

South Eliot questions

Is South Eliot, Maine a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, South Eliot scores better for retirees than 89% of Maine towns and quieter than 44%. 32.8% of residents are 65 or older (median age 55.5).

How much does a house cost in South Eliot?

The median owner-occupied home in South Eliot is valued at $475,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $99,299, so homes cost about 4.8 times income. Median rent is $2,155 a month.

What is the weather like in South Eliot?

July highs average 80.5°F and January lows 14.8°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 47.8 inches of precipitation a year and 55.8 inches of snow.

Does South Eliot get tornadoes?

6 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of South Eliot since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on May 3, 1976. The typical Maine town has had 2.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to South Eliot's Census boundary (GEOID 2370660). Comparisons use the median of Maine towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-12.