Compare towns
Bath vs Brewer vs Dedham vs Readfield
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bath has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3%).
Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).
Dedham has the highest household income ($111k).
Readfield has the most people working from home (24.3%).
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 | Dedham | Readfield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
9,652Highest |
1,656Lowest |
2,651 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2% ME: +2.6% |
-2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
0% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
46.5±2.2 4% above ME |
48.1±7.6Highest 7% above ME |
| Readfield and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 15.5%±3.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
23.8%±3.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
18.7%±3.9 ME: 18.1% |
| Dedham and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 25.2%±4.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
18.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.3%±4.5 ME: 22.4% |
| Bath and Brewer 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%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
49.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
48.8% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±2Lowest 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 |
$111,442±$18kHighest 49% above ME |
$86,504±$8k 16% above ME |
| Dedham and Readfield 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 |
$356,400±$33kHighest 20% above ME |
$326,400±$20k 10% above ME |
| Dedham and Readfield 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 |
$1,422±$607Highest 25% above ME |
$1,125±$844 about the ME average |
| Dedham and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,847 27% above ME |
$3,374Lowest 11% above ME |
$3,942Highest 30% above ME |
$3,392 12% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
31.3%±100 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% |
9% ME: 10.7% |
5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
89.9% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1979 2 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
30 minHighest 22% above ME |
30 min 20% above ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
9.3%±4.3 ME: 15.9% |
24.3%±14.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Readfield and 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 | — | #20 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Brewer Public Schools | Dedham Public Schools | RSU 38 |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Brewer High School | None in town | Maranacook Community High Sch |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
14.0 |
— | 11.5Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet | None yet | 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.