Compare towns
Bath vs Dover-Foxcroft vs Gardiner
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 expensive homes ($311k median).
Dover-Foxcroft has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5%).
Gardiner has the highest household income ($72k).
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 | Dover-Foxcroft | Gardiner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,815Highest |
4,506Lowest |
6,088 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3Highest about the ME average |
38±4.1Lowest 15% below ME |
42±3.6 6% below ME |
| Bath and Gardiner 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% |
21.2%±3.9Highest ME: 18.1% |
16.6%±3.6 ME: 18.1% |
| Dover-Foxcroft and Gardiner 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% |
21.4%±4.4 ME: 22.4% |
19.7%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Bath and Dover-Foxcroft 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% |
28.2%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
29.8% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.9%±0.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.1%±1.8 ME: 5.8% |
| Bath and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $69,390±$12k 7% below ME |
$63,344±$6kLowest 15% below ME |
$71,782±$10kHighest 4% below ME |
| Gardiner and Bath 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 |
$162,600±$12kLowest 45% below ME |
$221,600±$19k 25% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116 8% below ME |
$880±$97Lowest 23% below ME |
$1,113±$191Highest about the ME average |
| Gardiner and Bath 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 |
$1,916Lowest 37% below ME |
$2,742 10% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2Highest ME: 48.4% |
37.3%±16.2Lowest ME: 48.4% |
44.6%±13.7 ME: 48.4% |
| Bath and Gardiner 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% |
15.1%Highest ME: 10.7% |
10.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
67% ME: 74.3% |
68.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1973Highest 4 yrs older than ME |
1944 33 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
15 minLowest 40% below ME |
30 minHighest 22% above ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
12.6%±6Lowest ME: 15.9% |
13.9%±4.1 ME: 15.9% |
| Bath and Gardiner 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 | #89 of 133 in ME | #36 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | RSU 68/MSAD 68 | RSU 11/MSAD 11 |
| High school in town | Morse High School | None in town | Gardiner Area High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
— | 11.8Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.