What stands out worked out from the figures below

Biddeford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

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	Biddeford	Brewer
People
Population	22,498Highest	9,652Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest ME: +2.6%	+2%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	35±2.6Lowest 22% below ME	40.1±4.8Highest 10% below ME
	Brewer and Biddeford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.6%±2.2Lowest ME: 18.1%	20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1%
	Brewer and Biddeford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.1%±1.7Lowest ME: 22.4%	22.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4%
	Brewer and Biddeford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%	35%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11%±1.6Highest ME: 5.8%	7.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Biddeford and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,333±$4kHighest 3% below ME	$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME
	Biddeford and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$396,600±$25kHighest 34% above ME	$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$100Highest 13% above ME	$1,086±$54Lowest 5% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,401Highest 45% above ME	$3,374Lowest 11% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±6Lowest ME: 48.4%	55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4%
	Brewer and Biddeford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.5%Highest ME: 10.7%	12.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%	59.7%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 25 yrs older than ME	1959Highest 18 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 4% below ME	17 minLowest 31% below ME
Work from home	14.2%±2.7Highest ME: 15.9%	6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#111 of 133 in ME	#32 of 133 in ME
School district	Biddeford Public Schools	Brewer Public Schools
High school in town	Biddeford High School	Brewer High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.1Highest	14.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.