What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brewer has the most kids (20.9% under 18).

Durham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

Durham is a college town. 55.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Durham
People
Population	9,652Lowest	15,080Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±4.8Highest 3% above U.S.	20.8±0.3Lowest 47% below U.S.
Kids under 18	20.9%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%	10.3%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	22.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	11.5%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	75.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	55.1%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,613±$9kLowest 17% below U.S.	$124,056±$21kHighest 54% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S.	$504,300±$41kHighest 52% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,429±$143Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	66.4%±16Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Durham and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	15.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	64.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.	19 minHighest 27% below U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 133 in ME	#9 of 120 in NH
School district	Brewer Public Schools	Oyster River Coop School District
High school in town	Brewer High School	Oyster River High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	12.3Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	51 photos →

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.