Compare towns
Bath vs Lisbon 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 expensive homes ($311k median).
Lisbon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.8%).
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 | Lisbon | Brewer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,815Lowest |
9,750Highest |
9,652 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+7.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3Highest about the ME average |
38.4±2.9Lowest 14% below ME |
40.1±4.8 10% below ME |
| Bath and Brewer 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% |
22.2%±4Highest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
| Lisbon and Brewer 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% |
16.2%±3.2Lowest 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% |
23.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
35% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
4.3%±1.8Lowest 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 |
$77,819±$9kHighest 4% above ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
| Lisbon and Bath 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 |
$258,300±$26k 13% below ME |
$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
| Bath and Lisbon 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 |
$979±$286Lowest 14% 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 |
$3,324Lowest 9% above ME |
$3,374 11% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
43.4%±14.2Lowest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Brewer and Bath 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% |
5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
74.8%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1973Highest 4 yrs older than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
29 minHighest 17% above ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
18.1%±9.6 ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Bath and Lisbon 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 | #60 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Lisbon Public Schools | Brewer Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Lisbon High School | Brewer High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8 |
15.8Highest |
14.0Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.