Compare towns
Bath vs Brewer vs Thomaston
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 youngest population (median age 40.1).
Thomaston has the oldest population (median age 58.1).
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 | Thomaston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,815 |
9,652Highest |
2,769Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2% ME: +2.6% |
-1.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
58.1±6.6Highest 30% above ME |
| Kids under 18 | 15.5%±3.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
19.2%±5.7 ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Thomaston 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%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
35.5%±8.6Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Thomaston and Bath 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% |
30.9%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.6%±1.4Lowest 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 |
$56,435±$13kLowest 24% 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±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
$271,700±$10k 8% below ME |
| Bath and Thomaston 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 |
$1,262±$343Highest 11% above ME |
| Thomaston and Brewer 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 |
$4,487Highest 48% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2Lowest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
60.5%±23.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Thomaston 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% |
6.6%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
73.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1959Highest 18 yrs older than ME |
1951 26 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minHighest about the ME average |
17 min 31% below ME |
14 minLowest 45% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
4.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #31 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME | #99 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Brewer Public Schools | RSU 13 |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Brewer High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
14.0Lowest |
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| 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.