Compare towns
Bath vs Brewer vs Buxton vs West Bath
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bath has the most people working from home (19.3%).
Brewer has the most kids (20.9% under 18).
Buxton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.3%).
West Bath has the oldest population (median age 54.2).
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 | Brewer | Buxton | West Bath |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
9,652Highest |
8,512 |
1,863Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+2% ME: +2.6% |
+4.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+1.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
45.5±3.9 about the ME average |
54.2±5.6Highest 21% above ME |
| West Bath and Buxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 15.5%±3.7 ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
16.2%±3.6 ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±4.2Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Buxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 25.2%±4.1 ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
19.2%±4.2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
29.4%±4.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
| West Bath and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 42.5% ME: 36.2% |
35% ME: 36.2% |
30.3%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
50.7%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.2%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.3 ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $69,390±$12k 7% below ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
$100,144±$21k 34% above ME |
$103,333±$27kHighest 38% above ME |
| West Bath and Buxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $310,900±$30k 5% above ME |
$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
$356,800±$21k 20% above ME |
$422,800±$102kHighest 43% above ME |
| West Bath and Buxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116Lowest 8% below ME |
$1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$1,613±$266Highest 42% above ME |
$1,112±$327 about the ME average |
| Buxton and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,847Highest 27% above ME |
$3,374Lowest 11% above ME |
$3,422 13% above ME |
$3,516 16% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
26.9%±26.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
41.1%±26.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Brewer and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 12.4% ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
2.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
3.2% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
80.3% ME: 74.3% |
82.3%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
1981 4 yrs newer than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
34 minHighest 39% above ME |
21 min 16% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±3.1 ME: 15.9% |
17.1%±6.9 ME: 15.9% |
| Bath and West Bath 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 | #32 of 133 in ME | #104 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Brewer Public Schools | RSU 06/MSAD 06 | West Bath Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Brewer High School | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
14.0Lowest |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | 12 photos → | None yet |
ME 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.