What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Derry has the most people working from home (16%).

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	Derry
People
Population	9,652Lowest	34,116Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S.	40.3±1.6Highest 4% above U.S.
	Derry 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%	20.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brewer and Derry 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%	15.2%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brewer and Derry 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.	$108,944±$7kHighest 35% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S.	$432,000±$17kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,547±$138Highest 9% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.	$8,103Highest 160% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	51.6%±9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brewer and Derry 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%	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	70.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 133 in ME	#60 of 120 in NH
School district	Brewer Public Schools	Derry Cooperative School District · Pinkerton Academy School District
High school in town	Brewer High School	Pinkerton Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	13.9Lowest
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.