What stands out worked out from the figures below

Farmington has the most affordable homes ($167k median).

Bath has grown the fastest since 2010 (+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.

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

Measure	Farmington	Bath
People
Population	8,157Lowest	8,815Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+3%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	38.2±3.3Lowest 15% below ME	45.4±3Highest about the ME average
Kids under 18	10.6%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1%	15.5%±3.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Bath and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±3.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	25.2%±4.1Highest ME: 22.4%
	Bath and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%	42.5%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	20.6%±3.7Highest ME: 5.8%	5.5%±2Lowest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,276±$7kLowest 27% below ME	$69,390±$12kHighest 7% below ME
	Bath and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$166,600±$18kLowest 44% below ME	$310,900±$30kHighest 5% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$902±$106Lowest 21% below ME	$1,044±$116Highest 8% below ME
	Bath and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,958Lowest 36% below ME	$3,847Highest 27% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.2%±12.1Lowest ME: 48.4%	51.3%±15.2Highest ME: 48.4%
	Bath and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.4%Highest ME: 10.7%	12.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%	64.3%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 2 yrs older than ME	1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 9% above ME	24 minLowest about the ME average
Work from home	20%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9%	19.3%±6Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Farmington 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	#64 of 133 in ME	#31 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 09	RSU 01 - LKRSU
High school in town	Mt Blue High School	Morse High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.2Lowest	14.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.