What stands out worked out from the figures below

Andover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.1%).

Bath has the most affordable homes ($311k median).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Andover	Bath
People
Population	36,652Highest	8,815Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.9±1Lowest 10% above U.S.	45.4±3Highest 17% above U.S.
	Bath and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%	15.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	16%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	75.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	42.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	8.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.5%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Andover and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$172,606±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.	$69,390±$12kLowest 14% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$855,600±$22kHighest 157% above U.S.	$310,900±$30kLowest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,201±$129Highest 56% above U.S.	$1,044±$116Lowest 26% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$3,847Lowest 23% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.7%±7.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.3%±15.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bath and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	64.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	30.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	19.3%±6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#68 of 282 in MA	#31 of 133 in ME
School district	Andover · Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical	RSU 01 - LKRSU
High school in town	Gr Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical	Morse High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	14.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.