What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brewer has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2%).

Augusta has the most people working from home (15.1%).

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	Augusta
People
Population	9,652Lowest	19,077Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Highest ME: +2.6%	-1.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME	42.5±2.4Highest 5% below ME
	Augusta 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%	18.9%±2.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Brewer and Augusta 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%	21.5%±2.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Brewer and Augusta 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%	28.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8%	3.6%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,613±$9kHighest 11% below ME	$47,979±$3kLowest 36% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$21kHighest 17% below ME	$201,000±$18kLowest 32% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Highest 5% below ME	$919±$79Lowest 19% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,374Highest 11% above ME	$2,465Lowest 19% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4%	49.2%±8.3Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Brewer and Augusta 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%	18.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Highest ME: 74.3%	53.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME	1965Highest 12 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 31% below ME	19 minHighest 24% below ME
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	15.1%±3.7Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 133 in ME	#119 of 133 in ME
School district	Brewer Public Schools	Augusta Public Schools · Maine Arts Academy
High school in town	Brewer High School	Cony
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Lowest	17.9Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.