Compare towns
Bath vs Brewer vs Ellsworth vs Gardiner
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 shortest commute (17 min average).
Ellsworth has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).
Gardiner has the most affordable homes ($222k 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.
| Measure | Bath | Brewer | Ellsworth | Gardiner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
9,652Highest |
8,657 |
6,088Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+8.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2.8% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3Highest about the ME average |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
43±2.4 4% below ME |
42±3.6 6% below ME |
| Bath and Ellsworth 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%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
16.6%±3.6 ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Ellsworth 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% |
22.1%±3.3 ME: 22.4% |
19.7%±3.5Lowest 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%Highest ME: 36.2% |
35% ME: 36.2% |
39.3% ME: 36.2% |
29.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
4.1%±1.8Lowest 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 |
$77,375±$18kHighest 4% above ME |
$71,782±$10k 4% below ME |
| Ellsworth and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $310,900±$30kHighest 5% above ME |
$245,300±$21k 17% below ME |
$242,300±$22k 18% below ME |
$221,600±$19kLowest 25% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116 8% below ME |
$1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$1,017±$195Lowest 11% below ME |
$1,113±$191Highest about the ME average |
| Gardiner and Brewer 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 |
$3,374 11% above ME |
$3,262 7% above ME |
$2,742Lowest 10% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
44.6%±13.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Ellsworth and Brewer 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% |
9.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
10.5% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
66.7% ME: 74.3% |
68.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
1944 33 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
25 min about the ME average |
30 minHighest 22% above ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
13.9%±4.1 ME: 15.9% |
| Bath and Gardiner 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 | #63 of 133 in ME | #36 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Brewer Public Schools | Ellsworth Public Schools | RSU 11/MSAD 11 |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Brewer High School | Ellsworth High School | Gardiner Area High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
14.0 |
12.7 |
11.8Lowest |
| 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.