Compare towns
Bath vs Bow vs Brookline
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bath has the most affordable homes ($311k median).
Bow has the highest household income ($173k).
Brookline has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13%).
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.
| Measure | Bath | Bow | Brookline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,815Highest |
8,335 |
5,736Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+9.4% U.S.: +7.4% |
+13%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 45.4±3Highest 17% above U.S. |
41.5±2 7% above U.S. |
41.2±1.5Lowest 6% above U.S. |
| Bath and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 15.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22% |
25%±3.6 U.S.: 22% |
26.7%±4Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Brookline and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 25.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
17.6%±2.5 U.S.: 17.2% |
11.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 42.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
60.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
57.7% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.6%±1.9 U.S.: 6.4% |
6.3%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Brookline and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $69,390±$12kLowest 14% below U.S. |
$172,857±$16kHighest 114% above U.S. |
$171,046±$4k 112% above U.S. |
| Bow and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $310,900±$30kLowest 7% below U.S. |
$506,500±$34k 52% above U.S. |
$544,400±$38kHighest 64% above U.S. |
| Brookline and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116Lowest 26% below U.S. |
$1,539±$178 9% above U.S. |
$2,500±$1kHighest 77% above U.S. |
| Brookline and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,847Lowest 23% above U.S. |
$9,584 207% above U.S. |
$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
39%±13.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
23.8%±43.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Bath and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
2.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
0.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
87.5% U.S.: 65.2% |
95.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S. |
1985 5 yrs newer than U.S. |
1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minLowest 9% below U.S. |
27 min about the U.S. average |
33 minHighest 26% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
22.7%±4.7 U.S.: 15.1% |
24.7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Brookline and Bow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #31 of 133 in ME | #26 of 120 in NH | #23 of 120 in NH |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Bow School District | Brookline School District |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Bow High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
12.8Lowest |
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| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.