Compare towns
Bath vs Brewer vs Ellsworth vs Phippsburg
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%).
Phippsburg has the highest household income ($108k).
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 | Phippsburg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
9,652Highest |
8,657 |
2,238Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+2% ME: +2.6% |
+8.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-2.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
43±2.4 4% below ME |
54.3±6.3Highest 21% above ME |
| Phippsburg and Bath 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% |
18.4%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
11.5%±3.1Lowest 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%±4.1 ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
34.4%±3.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 42.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
39.3% ME: 36.2% |
37.7% 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% |
2.3%±1.6Lowest 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±$18k 4% above ME |
$107,833±$19kHighest 44% above ME |
| Phippsburg and Ellsworth 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±$21k 17% below ME |
$242,300±$22kLowest 18% below ME |
$335,800±$47kHighest 13% above ME |
| Phippsburg and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116 8% below ME |
$1,086±$54Highest 5% below ME |
$1,017±$195Lowest 11% below ME |
$1,022±$346 10% below ME |
| Brewer and 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 |
$3,374 11% above ME |
$3,262 7% above ME |
$2,034Lowest 33% 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% |
35.5%±98.7Lowest 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% ME: 10.7% |
7.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
66.7% ME: 74.3% |
81.8%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1984Highest 7 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
25 minHighest about the ME average |
21 min 13% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
11.7%±4.7 ME: 15.9% |
| Bath and Phippsburg 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 | — |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Brewer Public Schools | Ellsworth Public Schools | RSU 01 - LKRSU |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Brewer High School | Ellsworth High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
14.0 |
12.7Lowest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | 5 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.