What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Auburn has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.4%).

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	Brewer	Auburn
People
Population	9,652Lowest	24,602Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+4.4%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME	41.4±2.7Highest 8% below ME
	Auburn and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1%	21.4%±2.3Highest ME: 18.1%
	Auburn and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4%	19.8%±2Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Brewer and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35%Highest ME: 36.2%	27.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8%	5.6%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Brewer and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME	$66,647±$5kHighest 11% below ME
	Auburn 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±$21kLowest 17% below ME	$282,000±$12kHighest 5% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Highest 5% below ME	$1,041±$74Lowest 9% below ME
	Brewer and Auburn 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	$3,687Highest 21% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4%	53.4%±7.4Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Brewer and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%	13.8%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Highest ME: 74.3%	59.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Highest 18 yrs older than ME	1954Lowest 23 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 31% below ME	22 minHighest 12% below ME
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	11.5%±2.7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Auburn and Brewer 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	#110 of 133 in ME
School district	Brewer Public Schools	Auburn Public Schools
High school in town	Brewer High School	Edward Little High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	13.1Lowest
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.