Compare towns
Bath vs Washburn 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%).
Washburn has the most affordable homes ($113k median).
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 | Washburn | Brewer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,815 |
1,355Lowest |
9,652Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-9.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3 about the ME average |
48.2±7.7Highest 8% above ME |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below 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% |
20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
| Washburn 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% |
24%±3.7 ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6Lowest 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% |
35% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
3.6%±1.4Lowest 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±$12kHighest 7% below ME |
$56,196±$6kLowest 25% below ME |
$66,613±$9k 11% below ME |
| Bath and Brewer 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 |
$245,300±$21k 17% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116 8% below ME |
$482±$62Lowest 58% 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 |
$1,571Lowest 48% below ME |
$3,374 11% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
33.3%±24.7Lowest 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%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
12.5% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3% ME: 74.3% |
78.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1969Highest 8 yrs older than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minHighest about the ME average |
21 min 15% below ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
9.7%±3.9 ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest 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 | — | #32 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | RSU 45/MSAD 45 | Brewer Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Washburn District High School | Brewer High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
12.0Lowest |
14.0 |
| 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.