Compare towns
Brewer vs Appleton vs Farmington
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).
Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).
Farmington has the most people working from home (20%).
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 | Brewer | Appleton | Farmington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 9,652Highest |
1,360Lowest |
8,157 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2% ME: +2.6% |
+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-2.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.1±4.8 10% below ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
38.2±3.3Lowest 15% below ME |
| Appleton and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7 ME: 18.1% |
10.6%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
20.7%±3.8Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 35% ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
38.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.7%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
20.6%±3.7Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $66,613±$9kHighest 11% below ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$54,276±$7k 27% below ME |
| Brewer and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $245,300±$21kHighest 17% below ME |
$235,600±$33k 21% below ME |
$166,600±$18kLowest 44% below ME |
| Brewer and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME |
$902±$106Lowest 21% below ME |
| Appleton and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,374 11% above ME |
$3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$1,958Lowest 36% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
44.2%±12.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 12.5% ME: 10.7% |
9.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
15.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.7% ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
55.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1975 2 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 31% below ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
27 min 9% above ME |
| Work from home | 6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
20%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Farmington and Appleton 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 | #32 of 133 in ME | — | #64 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Brewer Public Schools | Appleton Public Schools | RSU 09 |
| High school in town | Brewer High School | None in town | Mt Blue High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.0Lowest |
— | 14.2Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.