What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bath has the most expensive homes ($311k median).

Washburn has the most affordable homes ($113k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Bath	Washburn
People
Population	8,815Highest	1,355Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3%Highest ME: +2.6%	-9.5%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	45.4±3Lowest about the ME average	48.2±7.7Highest 8% above ME
	Washburn 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%	21.7%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1%
	Washburn and Bath 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%	24%±3.7Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Bath and Washburn 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%	26%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2Highest ME: 5.8%	3.6%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Bath and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,390±$12kHighest 7% below ME	$56,196±$6kLowest 25% below ME
	Bath and Washburn 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	$112,900±$14kLowest 62% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,044±$116Highest 8% below ME	$482±$62Lowest 58% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,847Highest 27% above ME	$1,571Lowest 48% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.3%±15.2Highest ME: 48.4%	33.3%±24.7Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Bath and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%	12.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3%	78.2%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME	1969Highest 8 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest about the ME average	21 minLowest 15% below ME
Work from home	19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9%	9.7%±3.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Bath and Washburn 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	—
School district	RSU 01 - LKRSU	RSU 45/MSAD 45
High school in town	Morse High School	Washburn District High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.8Highest	12.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.