Living in South Bristol, Maine: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 8.4% below the U.S. average in the parts of Maine outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 6.8 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for South Bristol itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town2 public schools. No public high school in town: the nearest is Boothbay Region High School, about 4 miles away.
A hospital close byLincolnhealth in Damariscotta, about 10 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityBoston is about 130 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means South Bristol meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Tourist town. About 45% of homes are vacation or seasonal homes, a sign of a visitor economy. More restaurants, shops and weekend events than locals alone could support, with the small-town basics intact.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $469,200U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 31%Lincoln County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,347 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $69,211U.S.: $80,734
Typical property tax bill: $1,675 a yearMaine: $3,036
Homes built before 1940: 33%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 5%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 45%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 91.6U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Maine outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 31% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Maine outside metro areas, not South Bristol alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,1372020: 1,126
Median age: 46.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 31%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 8%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 62%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 16%U.S.: 6%
College students: 15%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Professional and business services (14%); retail (10%)
Unemployment rate: 4%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 17 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 24%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 8%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Lincolnhealth, Damariscotta, ME, about 10 miles away. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Nearest general hospital: Mainehealth Mid Coast Hospital, Brunswick, ME, about 17 miles away. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

2 public schools in South Bristol, run by South Bristol Public Schools and Bristol Public Schools. The nearest public high school is Boothbay Region High School, about 4 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Maine's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 67%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 97%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 14°F
July average high: 76°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 1 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 148 a year
Rain and melted snow: 49.2 inches a year
Snow: 79 inches a year
Elevation: 21 feet

Weather stations: Westport Island (8 miles away) and Newcastle (11 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

LincolnhealthEmergency room10

Portland, MECity of 70,00036

Boston, MAMetro of 5 million130

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Lincolnhealth, Portland, Boston.

Lincoln County is outside any metro area, with fewer than 5,000 people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 8, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Frances Perkins National Monument8 miles
Acadia National Park45 miles

Read about South Bristol's history on Wikipedia.

Know South Bristol?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Bristol, ME3,000 people, 4 miles
Boothbay Harbor, ME2,100 people, 5 miles
Boothbay, ME3,200 people, 6 miles
Edgecomb, ME1,200 people, 7 miles
Damariscotta, ME2,300 people, 10 miles
Friendship, ME1,200 people, 11 miles

Smaller places

Southport, ME634 people, 7 miles
Westport Island, ME750 people, 8 miles
Bremen, ME842 people, 9 miles
Arrowsic, ME499 people, 12 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.