Compare towns
Bath vs Hermon vs Readfield vs West Bath
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).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
Readfield has the most people working from home (24.3%).
West Bath has the most expensive homes ($423k 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 | Hermon | Readfield | West Bath |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815Highest |
6,727 |
2,651 |
1,863Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+19.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
0%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+1.8% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
41.1±4.7Lowest 8% below ME |
48.1±7.6 7% above ME |
54.2±5.6Highest 21% above ME |
| West Bath and Readfield 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% |
21.6%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
18.7%±3.9 ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±4.2Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Hermon and Readfield 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% |
20.4%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.3%±4.5 ME: 22.4% |
29.4%±4.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
| West Bath 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% |
37.6%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
48.8% ME: 36.2% |
50.7%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.1 ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.3 ME: 5.8% |
| Bath and Hermon 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 7% below ME |
$96,629±$22k 29% above ME |
$86,504±$8k 16% above ME |
$103,333±$27kHighest 38% above ME |
| West Bath and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $310,900±$30kLowest 5% above ME |
$333,600±$32k 12% above ME |
$326,400±$20k 10% above ME |
$422,800±$102kHighest 43% above ME |
| West Bath and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116Lowest 8% below ME |
$1,406±$202Highest 23% above ME |
$1,125±$844 about the ME average |
$1,112±$327 about the ME average |
| Hermon and Readfield 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 |
$2,761Lowest 9% below ME |
$3,392 12% above ME |
$3,516 16% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2Highest ME: 48.4% |
28.2%±19.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
31.3%±100 ME: 48.4% |
41.1%±26.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Bath and West Bath 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% |
6.8% ME: 10.7% |
5% ME: 10.7% |
3.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
75.2% ME: 74.3% |
89.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.3% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
2000Highest 23 yrs newer than ME |
1979 2 yrs newer than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
23 min 8% below ME |
30 minHighest 20% above ME |
21 minLowest 16% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
24.3%±14.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
17.1%±6.9 ME: 15.9% |
| Readfield 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 | #54 of 133 in ME | #20 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Hermon Public Schools | RSU 38 | West Bath Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Hermon High School | Maranacook Community High Sch | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
14.6 |
11.5Lowest |
— |
| 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.