Compare towns
Bath vs Carmel vs Union
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 renters (35.7% rent).
Carmel has the most affordable homes ($257k median).
Union has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.5%).
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 | Carmel | Union |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,815Highest |
2,941 |
2,663Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+2.6%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+5.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
46.4±4.5Highest 4% above ME |
41.6±5.3Lowest 7% below ME |
| Carmel 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% |
18.6%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
24.9%±4Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Union and Carmel 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% |
16.5%±5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
21.4%±3.1 ME: 22.4% |
| Bath and Union 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% |
17.2%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
34.4% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.9%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
| Bath and Union 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 7% below ME |
$82,188±$22kHighest 10% above ME |
$80,724±$9k 8% above ME |
| Carmel and Union 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 |
$256,800±$37kLowest 13% below ME |
$267,600±$42k 10% below ME |
| Bath and Union 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 |
$1,276±$187Highest 12% above ME |
$1,179±$452 4% above ME |
| Carmel and Union 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 |
$2,662Lowest 12% below ME |
$3,276 8% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±38.1Highest ME: 48.4% |
24.6%±19.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Carmel and Bath 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% |
13.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
10.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
87.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
85.9% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME |
1979 2 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minLowest about the ME average |
25 min about the ME average |
29 minHighest 20% above ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.5%±4.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
15.9%±5.3 ME: 15.9% |
| Bath and Union 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 | #77 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | RSU 87/MSAD 23 | RSU 40/MSAD 40 |
| High school in town | Morse High School | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8 |
— | — |
| 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.