Compare towns
Bath vs Brewer vs Strong
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).
Strong has the most homeowners (84.6%).
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 | Strong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,815 |
9,652Highest |
1,249Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2% ME: +2.6% |
-7.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
47.5±8.9Highest 6% above ME |
| Strong and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 15.5%±3.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
19.5%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Strong 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%±4.1Lowest 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% |
26.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.1%±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±$12kHighest 7% below ME |
$66,613±$9k 11% below ME |
$47,557±$10kLowest 36% below ME |
| 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±$30kHighest 5% above ME |
$245,300±$21k 17% below ME |
$183,900±$29kLowest 38% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116 8% below ME |
$1,086±$54Highest 5% below ME |
$920±$276Lowest 19% 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 |
$1,950Lowest 36% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
20.9%±52.4Lowest 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%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.5% ME: 10.7% |
13.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
84.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
1971Highest 6 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
31 minHighest 26% above ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
18.5%±9.8 ME: 15.9% |
| Bath and Strong 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 | — |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Brewer Public Schools | RSU 58/MSAD 58 |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Brewer High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
14.0Lowest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.