Compare towns
Northport vs Gorham 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
Northport has the most affordable homes ($343k median).
Gorham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.9%).
West Bath has the shortest commute (21 min average).
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 | Northport | Gorham | West Bath |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,621Lowest |
18,300Highest |
1,863 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2% ME: +2.6% |
+11.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+1.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 56.6±3.8Highest 26% above ME |
39.4±2.9Lowest 12% below ME |
54.2±5.6 21% above ME |
| Northport and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 13.9%±3.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±4.2 ME: 18.1% |
| Gorham and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 39.2%±3.7Highest ME: 22.4% |
17.5%±2.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
29.4%±4.2 ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 52.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
44.3%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
50.7% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
13.1%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.3 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $73,523±$8kLowest about the ME average |
$112,312±$6kHighest 50% above ME |
$103,333±$27k 38% above ME |
| Gorham and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $343,400±$36kLowest 16% above ME |
$460,900±$26kHighest 55% above ME |
$422,800±$102k 43% above ME |
| Gorham and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,088±$299Lowest 4% below ME |
$1,680±$355Highest 47% above ME |
$1,112±$327 about the ME average |
| Gorham and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,721Lowest 10% below ME |
$4,825Highest 59% above ME |
$3,516 16% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 56.8%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
37.9%±8.6Lowest ME: 48.4% |
41.1%±26.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Northport and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 5.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
3.7% ME: 10.7% |
3.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 87.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
81.5%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.3% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 min about the ME average |
27 minHighest 10% above ME |
21 minLowest 16% below ME |
| Work from home | 15.2%±5.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
19%±3.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
17.1%±6.9 ME: 15.9% |
| Gorham 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 | — | #24 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Northport Public Schools | Gorham Public Schools | West Bath Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | Gorham High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.9 |
— |
| 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.