What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Chester has the most people working from home (14%).

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	Chester
People
Population	9,652Highest	2,992Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S.	49.7±4.7Highest 28% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.9%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%	14.1%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brewer and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.8%±7.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Chester 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%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	33.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brewer and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,613±$9kHighest 17% below U.S.	$62,125±$8kLowest 23% below U.S.
	Brewer and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$21kHighest 26% below U.S.	$232,900±$44kLowest 30% below U.S.
	Brewer and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Highest 23% below U.S.	$960±$44Lowest 32% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.	$4,262Highest 37% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	12.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Chester 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	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	Brewer Public Schools	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	Brewer High School	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	8.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.