Compare towns
Bath vs Ellsworth vs Phippsburg 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).
Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k median).
Phippsburg has the highest household income ($108k).
Brunswick has the most expensive homes ($376k median).
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 | Phippsburg | Brunswick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
8,657 |
2,238Lowest |
22,336Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+8.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-2.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.3% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
43±2.4 4% below ME |
54.3±6.3Highest 21% above ME |
40±2.8Lowest 11% below ME |
| Phippsburg and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 15.5%±3.7 ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
11.5%±3.1Lowest ME: 18.1% |
17.2%±2.2 ME: 18.1% |
| Ellsworth and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 25.2%±4.1 ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
34.4%±3.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.9%±2.2 ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 42.5% ME: 36.2% |
39.3% ME: 36.2% |
37.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
53.9%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
2.3%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
13.3%±1.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $69,390±$12kLowest 7% below ME |
$77,375±$18k 4% above ME |
$107,833±$19kHighest 44% above ME |
$74,952±$6k about the ME average |
| Phippsburg 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 |
$335,800±$47k 13% above ME |
$376,300±$15kHighest 27% above ME |
| Brunswick and Phippsburg 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 |
$1,022±$346 10% below ME |
$1,469±$99Highest 29% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,847 27% above ME |
$3,262 7% above ME |
$2,034Lowest 33% below ME |
$4,756Highest 57% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
35.5%±98.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±8.8 ME: 48.4% |
| Ellsworth 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% |
9.3% ME: 10.7% |
7.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
7.7% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
66.7% ME: 74.3% |
81.8%Highest ME: 74.3% |
71.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1984Highest 7 yrs newer than ME |
1982 5 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
25 minHighest about the ME average |
21 minLowest 13% below ME |
23 min 5% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.7%±4.7 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 | #63 of 133 in ME | — | #30 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Ellsworth Public Schools | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Brunswick Public Schools · Brunswick-Region 10 |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Ellsworth High School | None in town | Brunswick High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
12.7 |
— | 10.9Lowest |
| 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.