Compare towns
Boothbay vs Palermo 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).
Palermo has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.3%).
West Bath has the most expensive homes ($423k 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.
| Measure | Boothbay | Palermo | West Bath |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 3,102Highest |
1,473Lowest |
1,863 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+1.8% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 56.8±3.9Highest 27% above ME |
43.4±6.1Lowest 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% |
18.1%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±4.2 ME: 18.1% |
| Palermo 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% |
21.2%±2Lowest 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% |
31.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
50.7% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 6%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.2%±2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.3 ME: 5.8% |
| Boothbay and West Bath 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 |
$89,095±$15k 19% above ME |
$103,333±$27kHighest 38% above ME |
| West Bath and Palermo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $342,100±$43k 15% above ME |
$259,700±$54kLowest 12% below ME |
$422,800±$102kHighest 43% above ME |
| West Bath and Boothbay 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 |
$1,235±$1kHighest 8% above ME |
$1,112±$327Lowest about the ME average |
| Palermo and Boothbay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,202Lowest 27% below ME |
$2,506 17% below ME |
$3,516Highest 16% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 30.4%±31Lowest ME: 48.4% |
65.6%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
41.1%±26.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Palermo 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% |
4.8% ME: 10.7% |
3.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 78.4%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
91.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.3% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 13 minLowest 46% below ME |
31 minHighest 24% above ME |
21 min 16% below ME |
| Work from home | 5.7%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
18.8%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
17.1%±6.9 ME: 15.9% |
| Palermo and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | — | RSU 12 | West Bath Public Schools |
| High school in town | — | None in town | None in town |
| 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.