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South Bristol, ME

This is a small community in a single neighborhood. As throughout the site, some neighborhood-level data are reserved for subscribers.





Overview


South Bristol is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Maine. With a population of 1,141 people and just one neighborhood, South Bristol is the 250th largest community in Maine. South Bristol has an unusually large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic towns.

South Bristol home prices are not only among the most expensive in Maine, but South Bristol real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Occupations and Workforce

Unlike some towns, South Bristol isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in South Bristol are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, South Bristol is a town of professionals, managers, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in South Bristol who work in management occupations (19.69%), teaching (9.85%), and healthcare suport services (6.78%).

Of important note, South Bristol is also a town of artists. South Bristol has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape South Bristol’s character.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 17.12% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Setting & Lifestyle

Another notable thing is that South Bristol is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, South Bristol’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.

One of the nice things about South Bristol is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

Being a small town, South Bristol does not have a public transit system used by locals to get to and from work.

Demographics

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to South Bristol, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. South Bristol is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 61.46% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in South Bristol in 2018 was $53,095, which is wealthy relative to Maine and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $212,380 for a family of four. However, South Bristol contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call South Bristol home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of South Bristol residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in South Bristol include English, German, Irish, Scottish, and French.

The most common language spoken in South Bristol is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and German/Yiddish.

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.

Real Estate

Do you like a coastal setting? If so, this neighborhood may be to your liking. The neighborhood is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Often such coastal places have amenities and recreational activities on the waterfront that are attractive to residents and visitors alike. In addition to being coastal, is a very nautical neighborhood, meaning that it is somewhat historic, walkable, densely populated and on the water. This gives the neighborhood a very nautical feel, with some seaside and shipping feel, which some may really enjoy the sights and sounds of.

In addition, vacant homes and apartments are a significant characteristic of this neighborhood. In fact, with 57.6% of the residential real estate vacant, the neighborhood claims the distinction of having a higher vacancy rate than 99.2% of the neighborhoods in America. This can either be because much of the property is seasonally occupied, like in many vacation areas, or that much of the real estate is more permanently abandoned.

People

If you are planning to retire in Maine, this neighborhood should be on your must-see list. For many reasons, may be considered a retiree's dream neighborhood. According to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis and metrics, it's peaceful and quiet, has above average safety from crime compared to other neighborhoods in Maine, while also offering a diverse range of housing options. This, along with the vibrant mix of very educated seniors and other age groups who choose to live here, makes the neighborhood more retiree-friendly than 97.5% of neighborhoods in ME. If a Maine retirement is in your future, this neighborhood should be one of the places you visit. In addition to being an excellent choice for active retirees, this neighborhood is also a very good choice for college students and highly educated executives.

Occupations

It used to be that most Americans lived on the farm, or otherwise made their living from the land, the forests, or the sea. With global trade and an economy increasingly based on providing services to one another, fewer people farm, fish or harvest timber now than at any time in American history. But according to NeighborhoodScout's leading analysis, the neighborhood stands apart from most American neighborhood due to the proportion of its residents still working in these fields. With 4.8% of the workforce so employed, this neighborhood has a greater concentration of such workers than 96.7% of U.S. neighborhoods.

Diversity

Did you know that the neighborhood has more Scottish and English ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 12.1% of this neighborhood's residents have Scottish ancestry and 30.4% have English ancestry.

The Neighbors

There are two complementary measures for understanding the income of a neighborhood's residents: the average and the extremes. While a neighborhood may be relatively wealthy overall, it is equally important to understand the rate of people - particularly children - who are living at or below the federal poverty line, which is extremely low income. Some neighborhoods with a lower average income may actually have a lower childhood poverty rate than another with a higher average income, and this helps us understand the conditions and character of a neighborhood.

The neighbors in the neighborhood in South Bristol are middle-income, making it a moderate income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 53.5% of the neighborhoods in America. In addition, 7.3% of the children seventeen and under living in this neighborhood are living below the federal poverty line, which is a lower rate of childhood poverty than is found in 57.9% of America's neighborhoods.

What we choose to do for a living reflects who we are. Each neighborhood has a different mix of occupations represented, and together these tell you about the neighborhood and help you understand if this neighborhood may fit your lifestyle.

In the neighborhood, 54.5% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is manufacturing and laborer occupations, with 16.8% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (14.7%), and 9.2% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.

Languages

The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 97.3% of households. Some people also speak Polish (2.1%).

Ethnicity / Ancestry

Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.

In the neighborhood in South Bristol, ME, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as English (30.4%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (14.2%), and residents who report Irish roots (13.1%), and some of the residents are also of Scottish ancestry (12.1%), along with some French ancestry residents (6.3%), among others.

Getting to Work

How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (46.6% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.

Here most residents (67.8%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (9.6%) and 5.5% of residents also hop out the door and walk to work for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.


Real Estate includes:
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Economics & Demographics include:
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Commute To Work
Migration & Mobility
Race & Ethnic Diversity
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Higher Education Attainment
Crime includes:
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Schools include:
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