Compare towns
Durham vs Bath vs West Gardiner
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Durham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.4%).
Bath has the most renters (35.7% rent).
West Gardiner has the most affordable homes ($305k 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 | Durham | Bath | West Gardiner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 4,262 |
8,815Highest |
3,696Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +8.4%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+3%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+5.7% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 42.6±5.9Lowest 5% below ME |
45.4±3Highest about the ME average |
43.5±2.8 about the ME average |
| Bath and West Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.7%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.5%±3.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
18.9%±5.5 ME: 18.1% |
| Durham and West Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 16.6%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
25.2%±4.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
17.3%±4.5 ME: 22.4% |
| Bath and West Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34.8% ME: 36.2% |
42.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
32.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.9%±3.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
8.1%±5.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
| West Gardiner and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $99,181±$5kHighest 33% above ME |
$69,390±$12kLowest 7% below ME |
$96,172±$30k 29% above ME |
| Durham and West Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $322,200±$34kHighest 9% above ME |
$310,900±$30k 5% above ME |
$305,100±$42kLowest about the ME average |
| Durham and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,044±$116Lowest 8% below ME |
$1,087±$150Highest 5% below ME |
| West Gardiner and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,781 25% above ME |
$3,847Highest 27% above ME |
$2,282Lowest 25% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 25%±40.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
57.1%±9.4Highest ME: 48.4% |
| West Gardiner and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 4.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
88.7% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1986 9 yrs newer than ME |
1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 minHighest 13% above ME |
24 minLowest about the ME average |
24 min about the ME average |
| Work from home | 20.9%±5.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
13.8%±7.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Durham and Bath 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 | #14 of 133 in ME | #31 of 133 in ME | #90 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 05 | RSU 01 - LKRSU | RSU 11/MSAD 11 |
| High school in town | None in town | Morse High School | None in town |
| 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.