Compare towns
Bath vs Jay vs Ellsworth 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 most people working from home (19.3%).
Jay has the most affordable homes ($169k median).
Ellsworth has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).
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 | Jay | Ellsworth | Brewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
4,657Lowest |
8,657 |
9,652Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+8.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3Highest about the ME average |
39.5±5.1Lowest 12% below ME |
43±2.4 4% below ME |
40.1±4.8 10% 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% |
17.5%±5.4 ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer 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 ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3 ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6 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% |
29.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
39.3% ME: 36.2% |
35% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±3.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2 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 |
$70,238±$19k 6% below ME |
$77,375±$18kHighest 4% above ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
| Ellsworth and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $310,900±$30kHighest 5% above ME |
$168,600±$27kLowest 43% below ME |
$242,300±$22k 18% below ME |
$245,300±$21k 17% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116 8% below ME |
$759±$141Lowest 33% below ME |
$1,017±$195 11% below ME |
$1,086±$54Highest 5% below ME |
| Brewer and Bath 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 |
$2,245Lowest 26% below ME |
$3,262 7% above ME |
$3,374 11% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
27.2%±28.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 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% |
9.8% ME: 10.7% |
9.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
82.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
66.7% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
21 min 13% below ME |
25 minHighest about the ME average |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
4.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #31 of 133 in ME | #86 of 133 in ME | #63 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | RSU 73 | Ellsworth Public Schools | Brewer Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Spruce Mountain High School | Ellsworth High School | Brewer High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
12.7Lowest |
12.7Lowest |
14.0 |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | 5 photos → | 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.