Compare towns
Bridgewater vs Millinocket vs Starks
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bridgewater has the most people working from home (7.5%).
Millinocket has the most affordable homes ($104k median).
Starks has grown the fastest since 2010 (-7.3%).
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 | Bridgewater | Millinocket | Starks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 484Lowest |
4,115Highest |
556 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -12.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
-8.7% ME: +2.6% |
-7.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 48.8±8 9% above ME |
54.2±6.2Highest 21% above ME |
46.7±9.4Lowest 4% above ME |
| Millinocket and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.1%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
16.1%±5.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
16.4%±4.4 ME: 18.1% |
| Bridgewater and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 27.5%±2.8 ME: 22.4% |
36.2%±8.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
20.3%±2.2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Millinocket and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 18.8% ME: 36.2% |
18.6%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
21%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.9%±2.2 ME: 5.8% |
4%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
0.9%±2.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Millinocket and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $65,417±$15kHighest 12% below ME |
$51,007±$9kLowest 32% below ME |
$63,500±$8k 15% below ME |
| Bridgewater and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $154,900±$78kHighest 48% below ME |
$103,800±$26kLowest 65% below ME |
$148,500±$27k 50% below ME |
| Bridgewater and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $768±$116 33% below ME |
$451±$130Lowest 60% below ME |
$1,063±$301Highest 7% below ME |
| Starks and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,417 53% below ME |
$1,580Highest 48% below ME |
$1,348Lowest 56% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 38.9%±59.5 ME: 48.4% |
20.5%±11Lowest ME: 48.4% |
45.5%±90.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Starks and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 12%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
17.1% ME: 10.7% |
19.2%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.7% ME: 74.3% |
84.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
90%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971 6 yrs older than ME |
1956Lowest 21 yrs older than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 22 minLowest 10% below ME |
24 min about the ME average |
33 minHighest 33% above ME |
| Work from home | 7.5%±5.1Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.6%±4.1 ME: 15.9% |
3.3%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Bridgewater and Millinocket 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 | — | #98 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | — | Millinocket Public Schools | — |
| High school in town | — | Stearns Jr-Sr High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 11.6 |
— |
| 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.