Compare towns
Bath vs Brunswick 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%).
Brunswick has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.2%).
Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k median).
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 | Brunswick | Ellsworth | Phippsburg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
17,652Highest |
8,657 |
2,238Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+12.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+8.5% ME: +2.6% |
-2.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
37.9±2.2Lowest 15% 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% |
16.1%±2.5 ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
11.5%±3.1Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Ellsworth and Brunswick 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% |
23%±2.4 ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
34.4%±3.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 42.5% ME: 36.2% |
51.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
39.3% ME: 36.2% |
37.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
15.4%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
2.3%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $69,390±$12kLowest 7% below ME |
$70,722±$5k 5% 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 |
$363,200±$18kHighest 22% above ME |
$242,300±$22kLowest 18% below ME |
$335,800±$47k 13% above ME |
| Brunswick and Phippsburg 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 |
$1,465±$100Highest 29% above ME |
$1,017±$195Lowest 11% below ME |
$1,022±$346 10% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,847 27% above ME |
$4,477Highest 47% 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% |
58.8%±9.2 ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
35.5%±98.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Ellsworth and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 12.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
8.6% ME: 10.7% |
9.3% ME: 10.7% |
7.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
66.3% ME: 74.3% |
66.7% ME: 74.3% |
81.8%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1977 same as 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 |
23 min 7% below ME |
25 minHighest about the ME average |
21 minLowest 13% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
18%±4.2 ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.7%±4.7 ME: 15.9% |
| Bath and Brunswick 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 | #30 of 133 in ME | #63 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | — | Ellsworth Public Schools | RSU 01 - LKRSU |
| High school in town | Morse High School | — | Ellsworth High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
— | 12.7Lowest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.