Compare towns
Bowdoinham vs Brewer
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bowdoinham has the most people working from home (22%).
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.
| Measure | Bowdoinham | Brewer |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 3,142Lowest |
9,652Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 51.9±13.1Highest 16% above ME |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
| Bowdoinham and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Kids under 18 | 17.5%±6.8Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Bowdoinham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Age 65+ | 21.4%±6.7Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Brewer and Bowdoinham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 43.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 0.7%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $108,479±$21kHighest 45% above ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $405,500±$105kHighest 37% above ME |
$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,086±$54 5% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,958Lowest about the ME average |
$3,374Highest 11% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 100%±19.4Highest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Below poverty line | 13.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 93.8%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1985Highest 8 yrs newer than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 27 minHighest 10% above ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
| Work from home | 22%±11.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #73 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 75/MSAD 75 | 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 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.