Compare towns
Gray vs Bath vs Brunswick
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Gray has the highest household income ($95k).
Bath has the most affordable homes ($311k median).
Brunswick has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.3%).
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 | Gray | Bath | Brunswick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,429Lowest |
8,815 |
22,336Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.5% ME: +2.6% |
+3%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 43.4±4.5 3% below ME |
45.4±3Highest about the ME average |
40±2.8Lowest 11% below ME |
| Bath and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19%±4Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.5%±3.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
17.2%±2.2 ME: 18.1% |
| Gray and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.3%±4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
25.2%±4.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.9%±2.2 ME: 22.4% |
| Bath and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 44.8% ME: 36.2% |
42.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
53.9%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.4%±2.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
13.3%±1.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $95,236±$8kHighest 27% above ME |
$69,390±$12kLowest 7% below ME |
$74,952±$6k about the ME average |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $363,700±$20k 23% above ME |
$310,900±$30kLowest 5% above ME |
$376,300±$15kHighest 27% above ME |
| Brunswick and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,371±$89 20% above ME |
$1,044±$116Lowest 8% below ME |
$1,469±$99Highest 29% above ME |
| Brunswick and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,683Lowest 21% above ME |
$3,847 27% above ME |
$4,756Highest 57% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 56.4%±24Highest ME: 48.4% |
51.3%±15.2Lowest ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±8.8Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Below poverty line | 3.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
7.7% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
71.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1982 5 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 minHighest 16% above ME |
24 min about the ME average |
23 minLowest 5% below ME |
| Work from home | 12.3%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
19.8%±3.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Brunswick 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 | #10 of 133 in ME | #31 of 133 in ME | #30 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Brunswick Public Schools · Brunswick-Region 10 |
| High school in town | Gray-New Gloucester High School | Morse High School | Brunswick High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.5 |
14.8Highest |
10.9Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.