What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bedford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10%).

Brewer has the most affordable homes ($245k median).

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	Bedford	Brewer
People
Population	23,746Highest	9,652Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45±2.2Highest 16% above U.S.	40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S.
	Bedford and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.7%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%	20.9%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bedford and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.5%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brewer and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	63%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brewer and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$167,418±$12kHighest 107% above U.S.	$66,613±$9kLowest 17% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,100±$26kHighest 84% above U.S.	$245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,099±$274Highest 49% above U.S.	$1,086±$54Lowest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,803Highest 214% above U.S.	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±15.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	55.7%±13.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bedford and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	59.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 4% below U.S.	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.
Work from home	27%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 120 in NH	#32 of 133 in ME
School district	Bedford School District	Brewer Public Schools
High school in town	Bedford High School	Brewer High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Lowest	14.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.