Compare towns
Bridgewater vs Strong vs Ripley
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 shortest commute (22 min average).
Strong has the most people working from home (18.5%).
Ripley has the most affordable homes ($144k 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 | Bridgewater | Strong | Ripley |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 484 |
1,249Highest |
436Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -12.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
-7.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 48.8±8Highest 9% above ME |
47.5±8.9Lowest 6% above ME |
47.7±5.3 6% above ME |
| Bridgewater and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.1%±5.7 ME: 18.1% |
19.5%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
16.3%±6.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Strong and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 27.5%±2.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
22%±4.1 ME: 22.4% |
17.7%±4.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Bridgewater and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 18.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
26.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
19.4% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.9%±2.2 ME: 5.8% |
2.1%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±6Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Ripley 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 |
$47,557±$10kLowest 36% below ME |
$64,821±$13k 13% below ME |
| Bridgewater and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $154,900±$78k 48% below ME |
$183,900±$29kHighest 38% below ME |
$144,300±$33kLowest 51% below ME |
| Strong and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $768±$116Lowest 33% below ME |
$920±$276 19% below ME |
$1,091±$281Highest 4% below ME |
| Ripley and Strong 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 |
$1,950Highest 36% below ME |
$1,270Lowest 58% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 38.9%±59.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
20.9%±52.4 ME: 48.4% |
11.5%±73.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Bridgewater and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 12% ME: 10.7% |
13.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
11.9%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
84.6% ME: 74.3% |
81%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1978Highest 1 yr newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 22 minLowest 10% below ME |
31 min 26% above ME |
32 minHighest 28% above ME |
| Work from home | 7.5%±5.1 ME: 15.9% |
18.5%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.5%±6.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Strong and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | — | RSU 58/MSAD 58 | — |
| High school 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.