Compare towns
Bath vs Gray vs Kennebunk vs Brewer
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 oldest housing (typical home built 1938).
Gray has the most homeowners (82.4%).
Kennebunk has the most people working from home (36.6%).
Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).
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 | Gray | Kennebunk | Brewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
8,429 |
6,221Lowest |
9,652Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+6.5% ME: +2.6% |
+10.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
43.4±4.5 3% below ME |
54.3±7.2Highest 21% above ME |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
| Kennebunk 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% |
19%±4 ME: 18.1% |
18.1%±4.2 ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Gray 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% |
19.3%±4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
30.9%±4.5Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
| Kennebunk and Bath 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% |
44.8% ME: 36.2% |
52%Highest ME: 36.2% |
35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±2.2 ME: 5.8% |
2.3%±2.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest 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 |
$95,236±$8kHighest 27% above ME |
$95,169±$21k 27% above ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
| Gray and Kennebunk 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 |
$363,700±$20k 23% above ME |
$452,800±$17kHighest 53% above ME |
$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116Lowest 8% below ME |
$1,371±$89 20% above ME |
$1,466±$261Highest 29% above ME |
$1,086±$54 5% below ME |
| Kennebunk and Gray 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 |
$3,683 21% above ME |
$4,771Highest 57% above ME |
$3,374Lowest 11% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±24Highest ME: 48.4% |
40.3%±13.2Lowest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Gray 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% |
3.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
11.2% ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
82.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
73.1% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
29 minHighest 16% above ME |
23 min 8% below ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
36.6%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #31 of 133 in ME | #10 of 133 in ME | #9 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences | — | Brewer Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Gray-New Gloucester High School | — | Brewer High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
12.5Lowest |
— | 14.0 |
| 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.