Compare towns
Bath vs Saco vs Hermon 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%).
Saco has the most expensive homes ($413k median).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
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 | Saco | Hermon | Brewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
20,819Highest |
6,727Lowest |
9,652 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
+10.3% ME: +2.6% |
+19.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3Highest about the ME average |
44.9±1.5 about the ME average |
41.1±4.7 8% below ME |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
| Bath and Saco 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% |
16.7%±2.5 ME: 18.1% |
21.6%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
| Hermon 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% |
18.5%±2.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
20.4%±4.7 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% ME: 36.2% |
43.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
37.6% ME: 36.2% |
35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
5.2%±1.2 ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.1Lowest 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 |
$92,241±$11k 23% above ME |
$96,629±$22kHighest 29% above ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
| Hermon and Saco 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 |
$413,100±$17kHighest 39% above ME |
$333,600±$32k 12% above ME |
$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116Lowest 8% below ME |
$1,249±$385 10% above ME |
$1,406±$202Highest 23% above ME |
$1,086±$54 5% below ME |
| Hermon and Saco 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 |
$4,807Highest 58% above ME |
$2,761Lowest 9% below ME |
$3,374 11% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
50.3%±14 ME: 48.4% |
28.2%±19.1Lowest 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% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
6.8% ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
72.8% ME: 74.3% |
75.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1982 5 yrs newer than ME |
2000Highest 23 yrs newer than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minHighest about the ME average |
24 min 3% below ME |
23 min 8% below ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
19%±3.6 ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.2 ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Bath and Saco 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 | #38 of 133 in ME | #54 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Saco Public Schools | Hermon Public Schools | Brewer Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | None in town | Hermon High School | Brewer High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
— | 14.6 |
14.0Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.