Compare towns
Brunswick vs Appleton vs Bath
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Brunswick has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.2%).
Appleton has the most homeowners (82.6%).
Bath has the most people working from home (19.3%).
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 | Brunswick | Appleton | Bath |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 17,652Highest |
1,360Lowest |
8,815 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +12.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2% ME: +2.6% |
+3%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 37.9±2.2Lowest 15% below ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
45.4±3 about the ME average |
| Appleton and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 16.1%±2.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
15.5%±3.7 ME: 18.1% |
| Brunswick and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 23%±2.4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
25.2%±4.1 ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 51.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
42.5% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 15.4%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $70,722±$5kHighest 5% below ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$69,390±$12k 7% below ME |
| Brunswick and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $363,200±$18kHighest 22% above ME |
$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME |
$310,900±$30k 5% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,465±$100Highest 29% above ME |
$1,104±$82 3% below ME |
$1,044±$116Lowest 8% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,477Highest 47% above ME |
$3,588Lowest 18% above ME |
$3,847 27% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 58.8%±9.2 ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
51.3%±15.2Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 8.6%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
9.7% ME: 10.7% |
12.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 66.3% ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1977 same as ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minLowest 7% below ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
24 min about the ME average |
| Work from home | 18%±4.2 ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Bath and Brunswick 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 | #30 of 133 in ME | — | #31 of 133 in ME |
| School district | — | Appleton Public Schools | RSU 01 - LKRSU |
| High school in town | — | None in town | Morse High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 14.8 |
| 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.