Compare towns
Bath vs Ellsworth vs Stow
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
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).
Stow has the highest household income ($186k).
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 | Stow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,815Highest |
8,657 |
7,165Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+8.5% U.S.: +7.4% |
+8.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 45.4±3Highest 17% above U.S. |
43±2.4Lowest 11% above U.S. |
44.1±4.4 13% above U.S. |
| Bath and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 15.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22% |
18.4%±3.5 U.S.: 22% |
22.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Stow and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 25.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
22.1%±3.3 U.S.: 17.2% |
19.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bath and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 42.5% U.S.: 35.7% |
39.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
75.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.3%±2 U.S.: 6.4% |
3.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Bath and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $69,390±$12kLowest 14% below U.S. |
$77,375±$18k 4% below U.S. |
$185,809±$22kHighest 130% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $310,900±$30k 7% below U.S. |
$242,300±$22kLowest 27% below U.S. |
$729,600±$39kHighest 119% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116 26% below U.S. |
$1,017±$195Lowest 28% below U.S. |
$1,782±$126Highest 26% above U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,847 23% above U.S. |
$3,262Lowest 5% above U.S. |
$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
62.1%±15.7Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
59.7%±44.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Ellsworth and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
9.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
66.7% U.S.: 65.2% |
85.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S. |
1980Highest same as U.S. |
1974 6 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minLowest 9% below U.S. |
25 min 7% below U.S. |
36 minHighest 35% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 U.S.: 15.1% |
7.1%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
36.6%±6.2Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #31 of 133 in ME | #63 of 133 in ME | #44 of 282 in MA |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Ellsworth Public Schools | Nashoba |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Ellsworth High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
12.7Lowest |
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| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 5 photos → | None yet |
U.S. 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.