Compare towns
Bath vs Dedham vs Union 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 people working from home (19.3%).
Dedham has the highest household income ($111k).
Union has the most affordable homes ($268k median).
Brunswick has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.2%).
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.
| Measure | Bath | Dedham | Union | Brunswick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
1,656Lowest |
2,663 |
17,652Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
-2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+5.5% ME: +2.6% |
+12.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
46.5±2.2Highest 4% above ME |
41.6±5.3 7% below ME |
37.9±2.2Lowest 15% 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%±3.6 ME: 18.1% |
24.9%±4Highest ME: 18.1% |
16.1%±2.5 ME: 18.1% |
| Union and Dedham 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% |
21.4%±3.1 ME: 22.4% |
23%±2.4 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% |
34.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
51.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.5%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
15.4%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $69,390±$12kLowest 7% below ME |
$111,442±$18kHighest 49% above ME |
$80,724±$9k 8% above ME |
$70,722±$5k 5% below ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $310,900±$30k 5% above ME |
$356,400±$33k 20% above ME |
$267,600±$42kLowest 10% below ME |
$363,200±$18kHighest 22% 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 |
$1,179±$452 4% above ME |
$1,465±$100Highest 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 |
$3,276Lowest 8% above ME |
$4,477Highest 47% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
24.6%±19.8 ME: 48.4% |
58.8%±9.2Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Brunswick and Bath 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% |
10.2% ME: 10.7% |
8.6%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
85.9% ME: 74.3% |
66.3% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1979 2 yrs newer than ME |
1977 same as ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
30 minHighest 22% above ME |
29 min 20% above ME |
23 minLowest 7% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
15.9%±5.3 ME: 15.9% |
18%±4.2 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 |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Dedham Public Schools | 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 | 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.