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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 1,140 people and just one neighborhood, South Bristol is the 250th largest community in Maine. Much of the housing stock in South Bristol was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic towns in the country.

    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 sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in South Bristol who work in management occupations (15.17%), sales jobs (9.36%), and teaching (8.99%).

    One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 23.83% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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.

    South Bristol is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

    Residents of the town have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 18.15 minutes getting to work every day.

    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 have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in South Bristol. 62.02% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.

    The per capita income in South Bristol in 2022 was $51,583, which is wealthy relative to Maine and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $206,332 for a family of four.

    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 French and Polish.

    Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

    Many things matter about a neighborhood, but the first thing most people notice is the way a neighborhood looks and its particular character. For example, one might notice whether the buildings all date from a certain time period or whether shop signs are in multiple languages. This particular neighborhood in South Bristol, the neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.

    Real Estate

    is a neighborhood that is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Many times, such places have amenities that bring locals and visitors to the waterfront for recreational activities or to check out the scenery. In some densely populated areas that are less financially well-off, the neighborhood waterfront can be relatively industrial and less open to recreation. 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, despite all of the residential real estate here in the neighborhood, NeighborhoodScout has discovered that much of it is vacant. In resort or second-home vacation areas, this naturally occurs because homes and apartments are seasonally occupied, and empty for a portion of the year. In non-vacation or resort areas, however, this can be an indicator of property abandonment or a weak real estate market. The vacancy rate here is 54.1%, which is higher than 99.1% of all U.S. neighborhoods.

    People

    Of note is NeighborhoodScout's research finding that the neighborhood has some of the lowest rates of children living in poverty of any neighborhood in the United States. In a nation where approximately 1 in 4 children are living in poverty, the community truly stands out from the rest in this regard.

    In addition, 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 97.3% 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.

    Also, an extraordinary 13.6% of the residents of the neighborhood are currently enrolled in college. This is such a large part of life in this neighborhood that the neighborhood changes a great deal with the change of semesters and is far quieter during the summer when many students are away.

    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 3.9% of the workforce so employed, this neighborhood has a greater concentration of such workers than 95.9% of U.S. neighborhoods.

    Length of Commute

    Whether walking, biking, riding, or driving, the length of one's commute is an important factor for one's quality of life. The neighborhood stands out for its commute length, according to NeighborhoodScout's analysis. Residents of the neighborhood have the pleasure of having one of the shortest commutes to work of any neighborhood in America. 57.7% of the residents have a commute time from home to work (one way) of less than fifteen minutes. This is a higher proportion of residents enjoying a short trip to work than NeighborhoodScout found in 95.2% of U.S. neighborhoods. Less time commuting means more time for other things in life.

    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, 14.0% of this neighborhood's residents have Scottish ancestry and 30.2% have English ancestry.

    The Neighbors

    How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.

    The neighbors in the neighborhood in South Bristol are lower-middle income, making it a below average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 60.5% of U.S. neighborhoods. In addition, 0.0% 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 100.0% of America's neighborhoods.

    The old saying "you are what you eat" is true. But it is also true that you are what you do for a living. The types of occupations your neighbors have shape their character, and together as a group, their collective occupations shape the culture of a place.

    In the neighborhood, 51.9% 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 19.5% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (18.7%), and 6.0% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.

    Languages

    The languages spoken by people in this neighborhood are diverse. These are tabulated as the languages people preferentially speak when they are at home with their families. The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 93.4% of households. Other important languages spoken here include French and Polish.

    Ethnicity / Ancestry

    Culture is shared learned behavior. We learn it from our parents, their parents, our houses of worship, and much of our culture – our learned behavior – comes from our ancestors. That is why ancestry and ethnicity can be so interesting and important to understand: places with concentrations of people of one or more ancestries often express those shared learned behaviors and this gives each neighborhood its own culture. Even different neighborhoods in the same city can have drastically different cultures.

    In the neighborhood in South Bristol, ME, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as English (30.2%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (17.0%), and residents who report Irish roots (16.3%), and some of the residents are also of Scottish ancestry (14.0%), along with some French ancestry residents (6.4%), 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 (57.7% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.

    Here most residents (66.2%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also hop out the door and walk to work to get to work (6.3%) . In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.


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