Compare towns
Bath vs Dedham vs Brunswick vs Brewer
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 oldest housing (typical home built 1938).
Dedham has the highest household income ($111k).
Brunswick has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.3%).
Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).
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 | Brunswick | Brewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
1,656Lowest |
22,336Highest |
9,652 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
-2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
46.5±2.2Highest 4% above ME |
40±2.8Lowest 11% below ME |
40.1±4.8 10% below ME |
| Dedham 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% |
23.8%±3.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
17.2%±2.2 ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
| Dedham and Brewer 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% |
18.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.9%±2.2 ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
| Bath and Brunswick 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% |
53.9%Highest ME: 36.2% |
35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
13.3%±1.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $69,390±$12k 7% below ME |
$111,442±$18kHighest 49% above ME |
$74,952±$6k about the ME average |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $310,900±$30k 5% above ME |
$356,400±$33k 20% above ME |
$376,300±$15kHighest 27% above ME |
$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below 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 |
$1,469±$99Highest 29% above ME |
$1,086±$54 5% below 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 |
$4,756Highest 57% above ME |
$3,374Lowest 11% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±8.8Highest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Brunswick 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% |
9% ME: 10.7% |
7.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
71.2% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1982 5 yrs newer than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
30 minHighest 22% above ME |
23 min 5% below ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
9.3%±4.3 ME: 15.9% |
19.8%±3.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest 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 | #32 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Dedham Public Schools | Brunswick Public Schools · Brunswick-Region 10 | Brewer Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | None in town | Brunswick High School | Brewer High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
— | 10.9Lowest |
14.0 |
| 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.