Compare towns
Topsham vs New Gloucester vs Berwick
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Topsham has the shortest commute (24 min average).
New Gloucester has the highest household income ($109k).
Berwick has the most people working from home (20.2%).
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 | Topsham | New Gloucester | Berwick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 9,706Highest |
5,766Lowest |
8,175 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +8.8% ME: +2.6% |
+2.4%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+9.7%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 44.7±4Highest about the ME average |
40.1±5.5Lowest 10% below ME |
40.7±2.9 9% below ME |
| Topsham and Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1% |
24.2%±5.8Highest ME: 18.1% |
22.7%±4.4 ME: 18.1% |
| New Gloucester and Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 24.4%±3.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
15.4%±4.2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
17.2%±4.1 ME: 22.4% |
| Topsham and Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 50%Highest ME: 36.2% |
30.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
35% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.9%±1.8Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±2.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±1.7 ME: 5.8% |
| Topsham and Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $91,028±$10kLowest 22% above ME |
$108,797±$12kHighest 46% above ME |
$94,771±$24k 27% above ME |
| New Gloucester and Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $360,800±$20k 22% above ME |
$357,100±$29kLowest 20% above ME |
$369,100±$19kHighest 24% above ME |
| Berwick and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,355±$642 19% above ME |
$1,150±$249Lowest about the ME average |
$1,452±$430Highest 27% above ME |
| Berwick and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,259 40% above ME |
$3,417Lowest 13% above ME |
$4,436Highest 46% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 40.3%±12.9 ME: 48.4% |
24.7%±12Lowest ME: 48.4% |
50.6%±46Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Berwick and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
4.3% ME: 10.7% |
4.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 78.9%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.9% ME: 74.3% |
87.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME |
1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME |
1989 12 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minLowest 4% below ME |
27 min 9% above ME |
30 minHighest 20% above ME |
| Work from home | 17.2%±4.3 ME: 15.9% |
14.2%±6.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
20.2%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Berwick and Topsham 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 | #66 of 133 in ME | #65 of 133 in ME | #101 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 75/MSAD 75 | RSU 15/MSAD 15 | RSU 60/MSAD 60 |
| High school in town | Mt Ararat High School | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.2 |
— | — |
| 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.