Compare towns
Bath vs Dedham vs Appleton vs Brunswick
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).
Dedham has the highest household income ($111k).
Appleton has the most affordable homes ($236k median).
Brunswick has the youngest population (median age 40).
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 | Dedham | Appleton | Brunswick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
1,656 |
1,360Lowest |
22,336Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
-2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2% ME: +2.6% |
+7.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
46.5±2.2 4% above ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
40±2.8Lowest 11% below ME |
| Appleton and Dedham 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% |
23.8%±3.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
17.2%±2.2 ME: 18.1% |
| Age 65+ | 25.2%±4.1 ME: 22.4% |
18.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.9%±2.2 ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton 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% ME: 36.2% |
49.5% ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
53.9%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
13.3%±1.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $69,390±$12k 7% below ME |
$111,442±$18kHighest 49% above ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$74,952±$6k about the ME average |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $310,900±$30k 5% above ME |
$356,400±$33k 20% above ME |
$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME |
$376,300±$15kHighest 27% above ME |
| Brunswick and Dedham 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 |
$1,422±$607 25% above ME |
$1,104±$82 3% below ME |
$1,469±$99Highest 29% above ME |
| Brunswick and Dedham 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 |
$3,942 30% above ME |
$3,588Lowest 18% above ME |
$4,756Highest 57% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±8.8 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton 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% |
9% ME: 10.7% |
9.7% ME: 10.7% |
7.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.6% ME: 74.3% |
71.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1982 5 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
30 min 22% above ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
23 minLowest 5% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
19.8%±3.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Brunswick and Bath 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 |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Dedham Public Schools | Appleton Public Schools | Brunswick Public Schools · Brunswick-Region 10 |
| High school in town | Morse High School | None in town | None in town | Brunswick High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
— | — | 10.9Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | 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.