What stands out worked out from the figures below

Townsend has the highest household income ($122k).

Bath has the most people working from home (19.3%).

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	Townsend	Bath
People
Population	9,100Highest	8,815Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.	45.4±3Highest 17% above U.S.
	Bath and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	15.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	42.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.5%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bath and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.	$69,390±$12kLowest 14% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.	$310,900±$30kLowest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.	$1,044±$116Lowest 26% below U.S.
	Townsend and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.	$3,847Lowest 23% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.6%±16.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.3%±15.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bath and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	64.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.3%±6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bath and Townsend 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	#136 of 282 in MA	#31 of 133 in ME
School district	North Middlesex	RSU 01 - LKRSU
High school in town	North Middlesex Regional	Morse High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Lowest	14.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.