Compare towns
Northport vs Windham 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).
Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.4%).
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 | Windham | West Bath |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,621Lowest |
19,188Highest |
1,863 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2% ME: +2.6% |
+8.4%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+1.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 56.6±3.8Highest 26% above ME |
41.8±1.8Lowest 7% 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% |
19.2%±2.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.7%±4.2 ME: 18.1% |
| Windham 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% |
15.9%±2.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
29.4%±4.2 ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 52.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
44.2%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
50.7% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.9%±1.1 ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
| West Bath and Windham 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 |
$107,934±$14kHighest 44% above ME |
$103,333±$27k 38% above ME |
| Windham 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 |
$388,900±$22k 31% above ME |
$422,800±$102kHighest 43% above ME |
| West Bath and Windham 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 |
$1,232±$332Highest 8% above ME |
$1,112±$327 about the ME average |
| Windham 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 |
$3,938Highest 30% above ME |
$3,516 16% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 56.8%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
32.7%±14.7Lowest 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% |
3.4% ME: 10.7% |
3.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 87.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
84.6% ME: 74.3% |
82.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME |
1985Highest 8 yrs newer than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 min about the ME average |
26 minHighest 7% above ME |
21 minLowest 16% below ME |
| Work from home | 15.2%±5.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
19%±4.1Highest ME: 15.9% |
17.1%±6.9 ME: 15.9% |
| Windham 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 | — | #95 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Northport Public Schools | RSU 14 | West Bath Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | Windham High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.1 |
— |
| 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.