Compare towns
Boothbay vs Gray vs West Bath
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Boothbay has the shortest commute (13 min average).
Gray has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.5%).
West Bath has the most people working from home (17.1%).
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 | Boothbay | Gray | West Bath |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 3,102 |
8,429Highest |
1,863Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+1.8% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 56.8±3.9Highest 27% above ME |
43.4±4.5Lowest 3% below ME |
54.2±5.6 21% above ME |
| Boothbay and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 11.5%±3.8Lowest ME: 18.1% |
19%±4Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±4.2 ME: 18.1% |
| Gray and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 35.4%±7.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
29.4%±4.2 ME: 22.4% |
| Boothbay and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 51.9%Highest ME: 36.2% |
44.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
50.7% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 6%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±2.2 ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Boothbay and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $60,320±$17kLowest 19% below ME |
$95,236±$8k 27% above ME |
$103,333±$27kHighest 38% above ME |
| West Bath and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $342,100±$43kLowest 15% above ME |
$363,700±$20k 23% above ME |
$422,800±$102kHighest 43% above ME |
| West Bath and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,147±$121 about the ME average |
$1,371±$89Highest 20% above ME |
$1,112±$327Lowest about the ME average |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,202Lowest 27% below ME |
$3,683Highest 21% above ME |
$3,516 16% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 30.4%±31Lowest ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±24Highest ME: 48.4% |
41.1%±26.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Gray and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.8%Highest ME: 10.7% |
3.5% ME: 10.7% |
3.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 78.4%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.3% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 13 minLowest 46% below ME |
29 minHighest 16% above ME |
21 min 16% below ME |
| Work from home | 5.7%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
17.1%±6.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
| West Bath and Gray 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 | — | #10 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | — | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences | West Bath Public Schools |
| High school in town | — | Gray-New Gloucester High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.5 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.