Compare towns
Brewer vs Ellsworth vs Sidney
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).
Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k median).
Sidney has the most people working from home (14.3%).
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 | Ellsworth | Sidney |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 9,652Highest |
8,657 |
4,790Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+8.5% ME: +2.6% |
+10.4%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
43±2.4Highest 4% below ME |
43±5.5Highest 4% below ME |
| Kids under 18 | 20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
23.1%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Sidney 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% |
22.1%±3.3 ME: 22.4% |
18.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Brewer and Ellsworth 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% |
39.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
33.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
1.5%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and Ellsworth 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 |
$77,375±$18k 4% above ME |
$83,488±$10kHighest 12% above ME |
| Sidney and Ellsworth 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 |
$242,300±$22kLowest 18% below ME |
$336,200±$34kHighest 13% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$1,017±$195Lowest 11% below ME |
$1,340±$304Highest 18% above ME |
| Sidney and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,374Highest 11% above ME |
$3,262 7% above ME |
$2,474Lowest 19% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
16.4%±17.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Ellsworth and Brewer 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% |
9.3% ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
66.7% ME: 74.3% |
89.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 31% below ME |
25 min about the ME average |
25 minHighest about the ME average |
| Work from home | 6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
14.3%±5.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Sidney and Ellsworth 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 | #63 of 133 in ME | #15 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Brewer Public Schools | Ellsworth Public Schools | RSU 18 |
| High school in town | Brewer High School | Ellsworth High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.0Highest |
12.7Lowest |
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| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 5 photos → | 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.