Compare towns
Brewer vs Cushing vs Mapleton vs Newburgh
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 shortest commute (17 min average).
Cushing has the most people working from home (18.5%).
Mapleton has the most affordable homes ($192k median).
Newburgh has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.8%).
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 | Cushing | Mapleton | Newburgh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 9,652Highest |
1,460Lowest |
1,884 |
1,475 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2% ME: +2.6% |
-2.1% ME: +2.6% |
-3.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
48.8±7.7Highest 9% above ME |
41.8±6 7% below ME |
45.8±5.7 about the ME average |
| Cushing and Newburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
17.1%±4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
22.2%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
18.8%±3.6 ME: 18.1% |
| Mapleton 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% |
20.5%±0.9 ME: 22.4% |
18.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
21.4%±2.4 ME: 22.4% |
| Brewer and Newburgh 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% |
38.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
34.3% ME: 36.2% |
29.9%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.4%±2.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
4.3%±2.7 ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and Mapleton 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 |
$83,500±$19k 12% above ME |
$91,731±$25kHighest 23% above ME |
$76,750±$10k about the ME average |
| Mapleton and Cushing 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 |
$409,800±$44kHighest 38% above ME |
$191,800±$23kLowest 35% below ME |
$244,600±$20k 18% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$1,553±$376Highest 36% above ME |
$610±$277Lowest 46% below ME |
$950±$219 17% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,374 11% above ME |
$3,944Highest 30% above ME |
$1,789Lowest 41% below ME |
$2,748 9% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
33.7%±19.6 ME: 48.4% |
16.7%±10.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
42.9%±13.9 ME: 48.4% |
| Brewer and Newburgh 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% |
7.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
8.9% ME: 10.7% |
11.7% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
84.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
79.9% ME: 74.3% |
81.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1985 8 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 31% below ME |
23 min 5% below ME |
28 min 13% above ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
| Work from home | 6.9%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
18.5%±6.3Highest ME: 15.9% |
10.8%±3.8 ME: 15.9% |
6.4%±3.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Cushing and Mapleton 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 | RSU 13 | RSU 79/MSAD 01 | — |
| 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 | 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.