What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bath has the most people working from home (19.3%).

Bristol has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.2%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Bath	Bristol
People
Population	8,815Highest	3,273Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.4±3Highest 17% above U.S.	42.7±5.7Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Bath and Bristol 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%	24.3%±6.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bristol and Bath 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%	23.2%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bath and Bristol 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%	35.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bath and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,390±$12kLowest 14% below U.S.	$78,438±$10kHighest about the U.S. average
	Bristol and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$310,900±$30kHighest 7% below U.S.	$258,300±$63kLowest 22% below U.S.
	Bath and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,044±$116Lowest 26% below U.S.	$1,310±$97Highest 7% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,847Lowest 23% above U.S.	$4,162Highest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.3%±15.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.3%±14.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bath and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	10.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	69.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	19.3%±6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.8%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bath and Bristol 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	#79 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 01 - LKRSU	Newfound Area School District
High school in town	Morse High School	Newfound Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.8Highest	11.5Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.