Compare towns
Old Town vs Bath vs Brewer
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Old Town has the most affordable homes ($208k median).
Bath has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3%).
Brewer has the shortest commute (17 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 | Old Town | Bath | Brewer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 7,470Lowest |
8,815 |
9,652Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -5.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 37±1.5Lowest 17% below ME |
45.4±3Highest about the ME average |
40.1±4.8 10% below ME |
| Bath and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 21.8%±4.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.5%±3.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
| Old Town and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 16.9%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
25.2%±4.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
| Bath and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 36.8% ME: 36.2% |
42.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 13.2%±6.6Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.5%±2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
| Old Town and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $51,585±$10kLowest 31% below ME |
$69,390±$12kHighest 7% below ME |
$66,613±$9k 11% below ME |
| Bath and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $208,100±$26kLowest 30% below ME |
$310,900±$30kHighest 5% above ME |
$245,300±$21k 17% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $989±$100Lowest 13% below ME |
$1,044±$116 8% below ME |
$1,086±$54Highest 5% below ME |
| Brewer and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,153Lowest 4% above ME |
$3,847Highest 27% above ME |
$3,374 11% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 50.3%±15Lowest ME: 48.4% |
51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Brewer and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 21.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
12.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.5% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
64.3%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.7% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1963Highest 14 yrs older than ME |
1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1959 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 20 min 18% below ME |
24 minHighest about the ME average |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
| Work from home | 21.4%±11.3Highest ME: 15.9% |
19.3%±6 ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Old Town 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 | #56 of 133 in ME | #31 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 34 | RSU 01 - LKRSU | Brewer Public Schools |
| High school in town | Old Town High School | Morse High School | Brewer High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.8Lowest |
14.8Highest |
14.0 |
| 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.