What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bristol has the most people working from home (25%).

Northport has the most affordable homes ($343k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Bristol	Northport
People
Population	2,917Highest	1,621Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Highest ME: +2.6%	+2%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	61±3.2Highest 36% above ME	56.6±3.8Lowest 26% above ME
	Bristol and Northport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.9%±4.5 ME: 18.1%	13.9%±3.5 ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	42.8%±8.1Highest ME: 22.4%	39.2%±3.7Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Bristol and Northport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	52.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	2%±1.4Highest ME: 5.8%
	Northport and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,750±$19kHighest 35% above ME	$73,523±$8kLowest about the ME average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$406,400±$54kHighest 37% above ME	$343,400±$36kLowest 16% above ME
	Bristol and Northport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,051±$106Lowest 8% below ME	$1,088±$299Highest 4% below ME
	Northport and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,668Lowest 12% below ME	$2,721Highest 10% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	23.4%±19.2Lowest ME: 48.4%	56.8%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Northport and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.9%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	87.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 9 yrs older than ME	1981Highest 4 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 28% below ME	25 minHighest about the ME average
Work from home	25%±8.3Highest ME: 15.9%	15.2%±5.4Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Bristol and Northport 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	#16 of 133 in ME	—
School district	Bristol Public Schools	Northport Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.