Compare towns
Winter Harbor vs Bar Harbor
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Winter Harbor has the most affordable homes ($211k median).
Bar Harbor has the most people working from home (21.9%).
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 | Winter Harbor | Bar Harbor |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 493Lowest |
5,244Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -10.7%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
-2.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 64.6±5.5Highest 44% above ME |
49.2±5.9Lowest 10% above ME |
| Kids under 18 | 5.7%±5.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
11.9%±3.8Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Bar Harbor and Winter Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Age 65+ | 47.3%±18.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
25.1%±5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Winter Harbor and Bar Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 31.9%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
68.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.3%±8.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
10.8%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Bar Harbor and Winter Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $86,250±$38kHighest 15% above ME |
$77,180±$26kLowest 3% above ME |
| Winter Harbor and Bar Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $210,500±$43kLowest 29% below ME |
$538,400±$94kHighest 82% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $818±$433Lowest 28% below ME |
$1,106±$351Highest about the ME average |
| Bar Harbor and Winter Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,422Lowest 53% below ME |
$4,279Highest 41% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 66.7%±37.2Highest ME: 48.4% |
41.6%±17.6Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Winter Harbor and Bar Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 3.9%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
10.1%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 80.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
74.5%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1973Lowest 4 yrs older than ME |
1985Highest 8 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 25 minHighest about the ME average |
20 minLowest 20% below ME |
| Work from home | 5.2%±6.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
21.9%±8.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #2 of 133 in ME |
| School district | — | Bar Harbor Public Schools · Mt Desert CSD |
| High school in town | — | Mt Desert Island High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 8.2 |
| 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.