What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brewer has the most affordable homes ($245k median).

Concord has the most people working from home (14.1%).

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	Concord
People
Population	9,652Lowest	44,375Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S.	40.7±1.3Highest 5% above U.S.
	Concord 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 U.S.: 22%	17.2%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brewer and Concord are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.7%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brewer and Concord are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	42.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	6%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brewer and Concord 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 17% below U.S.	$84,902±$5kHighest 5% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S.	$350,900±$13kHighest 5% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,441±$43Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.	$7,227Highest 132% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.1%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brewer and Concord are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	56.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1969Highest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.	23 minHighest 13% below U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 133 in ME	#89 of 120 in NH
School district	Brewer Public Schools	Concord School District · Merrimack Valley School District
High school in town	Brewer High School	Concord High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	13.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.