Compare towns
Bath vs Ellsworth vs Brewer vs Hermon
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%).
Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k median).
Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
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 | Ellsworth | Brewer | Hermon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
8,657 |
9,652Highest |
6,727Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+8.5% ME: +2.6% |
+2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+19.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3Highest about the ME average |
43±2.4 4% below ME |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
41.1±4.7 8% below ME |
| Bath and Ellsworth 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% |
18.4%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
21.6%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Hermon 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% |
22.1%±3.3 ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
20.4%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Bath and Brewer 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% |
39.3% ME: 36.2% |
35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
37.6% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and Bath 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 |
$77,375±$18k 4% above ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
$96,629±$22kHighest 29% above ME |
| Hermon and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $310,900±$30k 5% above ME |
$242,300±$22kLowest 18% below ME |
$245,300±$21k 17% below ME |
$333,600±$32kHighest 12% above ME |
| Hermon and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116 8% below ME |
$1,017±$195Lowest 11% below ME |
$1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$1,406±$202Highest 23% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,847Highest 27% above ME |
$3,262 7% above ME |
$3,374 11% above ME |
$2,761Lowest 9% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
28.2%±19.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Ellsworth 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% |
9.3% ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.8%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
66.7% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
75.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
2000Highest 23 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
25 minHighest about the ME average |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
23 min 8% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.2 ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #31 of 133 in ME | #63 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME | #54 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Ellsworth Public Schools | Brewer Public Schools | Hermon Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Ellsworth High School | Brewer High School | Hermon High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
12.7Lowest |
14.0 |
14.6 |
| 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.