What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northport has the most affordable homes ($343k median).

West Bath has the highest household income ($103k).

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	Northport	West Bath
People
Population	1,621Lowest	1,863Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Highest ME: +2.6%	+1.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	56.6±3.8Highest 26% above ME	54.2±5.6Lowest 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%	14.7%±4.2Highest ME: 18.1%
	West Bath and Northport 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%	29.4%±4.2Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.4%Highest ME: 36.2%	50.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.8%±2.3Highest ME: 5.8%
	West Bath and Northport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,523±$8kLowest about the ME average	$103,333±$27kHighest 38% above ME
	West Bath and Northport 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	$422,800±$102kHighest 43% above ME
	West Bath and Northport 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	$1,112±$327Highest about the ME average
	West Bath and Northport 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	$3,516Highest 16% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.8%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	41.1%±26.3Lowest 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%	3.2%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.3%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest about the ME average	21 minLowest 16% below ME
Work from home	15.2%±5.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	17.1%±6.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	West Bath and Northport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Northport Public Schools	West Bath Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.