What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alfred has the most expensive homes ($342k median).

Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).

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	Alfred	Brewer
People
Population	3,125Lowest	9,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	44.9±5.3Highest about the ME average	40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME
	Alfred and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.7%±6.3Lowest ME: 18.1%	20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1%
	Brewer and Alfred are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.4%±5.9Highest ME: 22.4%	22.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Alfred and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	35%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8%	7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,321±$18kHighest 10% above ME	$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME
	Alfred and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$342,300±$38kHighest 15% above ME	$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,035±$432Lowest 9% below ME	$1,086±$54Highest 5% below ME
	Brewer and Alfred are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,543Highest 17% above ME	$3,374Lowest 11% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	82.2%±29.5Highest ME: 48.4%	55.7%±13.3Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Alfred and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Lowest ME: 10.7%	12.5%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.1%Highest ME: 74.3%	59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME	1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 13% above ME	17 minLowest 31% below ME
Work from home	7.6%±4.3Highest ME: 15.9%	6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Alfred and Brewer 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	#74 of 133 in ME	#32 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 57/MSAD 57	Brewer Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	Brewer High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	14.0
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.