Compare towns
Brewer vs Appleton vs Veazie
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 most renters (40.3% rent).
Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).
Veazie has the most expensive homes ($293k 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 | Brewer | Appleton | Veazie |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 9,652Highest |
1,360Lowest |
1,847 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2% ME: +2.6% |
+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-5.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
46.7±4.6 4% above ME |
| Appleton and Veazie 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%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
18.7%±3.6 ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Veazie 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% |
21.4%±3.9Lowest 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% |
46.9%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.7%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
8.8%±4.8Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Veazie and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $66,613±$9k 11% below ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$78,229±$10kHighest 5% above ME |
| Veazie and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $245,300±$21k 17% below ME |
$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME |
$293,100±$35kHighest about the ME average |
| Veazie and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,086±$54Lowest 5% below ME |
$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME |
$1,095±$79 4% below ME |
| Appleton and Veazie are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,374Lowest 11% above ME |
$3,588 18% above ME |
$4,073Highest 34% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
55.3%±16.4Lowest 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%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9.7% ME: 10.7% |
7.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
72.1% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 31% below ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
18 min 27% below ME |
| Work from home | 6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
12%±4.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Veazie 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 | — | — |
| School district | Brewer Public Schools | Appleton Public Schools | Veazie Public Schools |
| High school in town | Brewer High School | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.0 |
— | — |
| 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.