Compare towns
Mount Desert vs Standish vs West Bath
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Mount Desert has the most expensive homes ($522k median).
Standish has the youngest population (median age 40.5).
West Bath has the most renters (17.7% rent).
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 | Mount Desert | Standish | West Bath |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,671Lowest |
10,662Highest |
1,863 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +4.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+3.7% ME: +2.6% |
+1.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 54.9±8.2Highest 23% above ME |
40.5±2.8Lowest 10% below ME |
54.2±5.6 21% above ME |
| Mount Desert and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.1%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
16.4%±3.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±4.2 ME: 18.1% |
| Standish and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 29.1%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
15.2%±2.3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
29.4%±4.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
| West Bath and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 64.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
36%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
50.7% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.9%±4.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
11.6%±1.7Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.3 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $92,813±$9kLowest 24% above ME |
$104,593±$15kHighest 40% above ME |
$103,333±$27k 38% above ME |
| Standish and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME |
$336,000±$18kLowest 13% above ME |
$422,800±$102k 43% above ME |
| Mount Desert and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,341±$89Highest 18% above ME |
$983±$453Lowest 14% below ME |
$1,112±$327 about the ME average |
| Mount Desert and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,512 16% above ME |
$3,005Lowest about the ME average |
$3,516Highest 16% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 33.9%±31.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
57.4%±22.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
41.1%±26.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Standish and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 7.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
7.3% ME: 10.7% |
3.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.8% ME: 74.3% |
91.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 18 minLowest 27% below ME |
29 minHighest 20% above ME |
21 min 16% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.1%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
13.6%±3.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
17.1%±6.9 ME: 15.9% |
| Mount Desert and West 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 | — | #18 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Mount Desert Public Schools | RSU 06/MSAD 06 | West Bath Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | Bonny Eagle High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.5 |
— |
| 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.