What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sumner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.9%).

West Bath has the most expensive homes ($423k median).

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	Sumner	West Bath
People
Population	845Lowest	1,863Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.9%Highest ME: +2.6%	+1.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	56.1±8.4Highest 25% above ME	54.2±5.6Lowest 21% above ME
	Sumner and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±6.9Highest ME: 18.1%	14.7%±4.2Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Sumner and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.7%±5.2Highest ME: 22.4%	29.4%±4.2Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Sumner and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	50.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.8%±2.3Highest ME: 5.8%
	West Bath and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,750±$19kLowest 23% below ME	$103,333±$27kHighest 38% above ME
	West Bath and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$150,000±$73kLowest 49% below ME	$422,800±$102kHighest 43% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,112±$327 about the ME average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,167Lowest 29% below ME	$3,516Highest 16% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	41.1%±26.3Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Sumner and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Highest ME: 10.7%	3.2%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.1%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.3%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest same as ME	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	42 minHighest 72% above ME	21 minLowest 16% below ME
Work from home	18.5%±8Highest ME: 15.9%	17.1%±6.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Sumner and West Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 10	West Bath Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.