Compare towns
Bath vs Brewer vs Lawrence
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 people working from home (19.3%).
Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).
Lawrence has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.7%).
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 | Lawrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,815Lowest |
9,652 |
88,736Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% U.S.: +7.4% |
+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 45.4±3Highest 17% above U.S. |
40.1±4.8 3% above U.S. |
32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S. |
| Bath and Brewer 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% |
20.9%±4.3 U.S.: 22% |
26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Lawrence 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 U.S.: 17.2% |
22.4%±3.6 U.S.: 17.2% |
10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| 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 U.S.: 35.7% |
35% U.S.: 35.7% |
16.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 U.S.: 6.4% |
7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.4%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| 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±$12kHighest 14% below U.S. |
$66,613±$9k 17% below U.S. |
$60,433±$3kLowest 25% below U.S. |
| Bath and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $310,900±$30k 7% below U.S. |
$245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S. |
$415,200±$23kHighest 25% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116Lowest 26% below U.S. |
$1,086±$54 23% below U.S. |
$1,662±$50Highest 18% above U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,847Highest 23% above U.S. |
$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S. |
$3,422 10% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
55.7%±13.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Lawrence and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 12.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
12.5% U.S.: 12.5% |
17.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
59.7% U.S.: 65.2% |
28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S. |
1959Highest 21 yrs older than U.S. |
1950 30 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minHighest 9% below U.S. |
17 minLowest 36% below U.S. |
23 min 13% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
6.9%±2.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
6.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #31 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME | #278 of 282 in MA |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Brewer Public Schools | Lawrence |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Brewer High School | Lawrence High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
14.0 |
13.6Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.