Compare towns
Standish vs Berwick vs Winthrop vs Waterboro
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Standish has the highest household income ($105k).
Berwick has the most renters (27% rent).
Winthrop has the most people working from home (23.1%).
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 | Standish | Berwick | Winthrop | Waterboro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 10,662Highest |
1,998Lowest |
6,191 |
8,055 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3.7% ME: +2.6% |
+4.1%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+0.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+3.2% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.5±2.8Lowest 10% below ME |
42.6±3.6 5% below ME |
43.6±5.3Highest about the ME average |
42±3.1 6% below ME |
| Winthrop and Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 16.4%±3.1Lowest ME: 18.1% |
22.5%±12.5 ME: 18.1% |
22.9%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
22.5%±4 ME: 18.1% |
| Winthrop and Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 15.2%±2.3 ME: 22.4% |
16.9%±8.1 ME: 22.4% |
23.4%±5Highest ME: 22.4% |
14.8%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Winthrop and Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 36% ME: 36.2% |
35.4% ME: 36.2% |
40%Highest ME: 36.2% |
24.2%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 11.6%±1.7Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.1%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.5%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
4.7%±1.7 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $104,593±$15kHighest 40% above ME |
$81,406±$39kLowest 9% above ME |
$86,470±$4k 16% above ME |
$89,392±$16k 20% above ME |
| Standish and Waterboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $336,000±$18kHighest 13% above ME |
$323,300±$36k 9% above ME |
$294,800±$41kLowest about the ME average |
$297,000±$23k about the ME average |
| Standish and Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $983±$453 14% below ME |
$1,041±$901 9% below ME |
$892±$319Lowest 22% below ME |
$1,200±$461Highest 5% above ME |
| Waterboro and Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,005 about the ME average |
$3,806Highest 25% above ME |
$3,506 15% above ME |
$2,772Lowest 9% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 57.4%±22.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
40.9%±45.2Lowest ME: 48.4% |
50.8%±22.4 ME: 48.4% |
50.2%±12.5 ME: 48.4% |
| Standish and Winthrop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 7.3% ME: 10.7% |
5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 91.2% ME: 74.3% |
73%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
92.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
90.1% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 29 minLowest 20% above ME |
34 min 37% above ME |
35 min 41% above ME |
35 minHighest 42% above ME |
| Work from home | 13.6%±3.8 ME: 15.9% |
13.7%±7.8 ME: 15.9% |
23.1%±6.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
10%±3.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Winthrop and Berwick 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 | #101 of 133 in ME | #12 of 133 in ME | #80 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 06/MSAD 06 | — | Winthrop Public Schools | RSU 57/MSAD 57 |
| High school in town | Bonny Eagle High School | — | Winthrop High School | Massabesic High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.5 |
— | 11.7Lowest |
13.5Highest |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.


