Compare towns
Brewer vs Ellsworth vs Surry
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 highest household income ($77k).
Surry has the most people working from home (11.4%).
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 | Surry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 9,652Highest |
8,657 |
1,836Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+8.5% ME: +2.6% |
+11.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
43±2.4 4% below ME |
52.4±5.6Highest 17% above ME |
| Kids under 18 | 20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
16.6%±3.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
30.9%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
39.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
38.1% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
2%±1Lowest 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±$18kHighest 4% above ME |
$74,508±$12k about the ME average |
| Ellsworth and Surry 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 |
$296,300±$36kHighest about the ME average |
| Surry and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,086±$54Highest 5% below ME |
$1,017±$195 11% below ME |
$969±$129Lowest 15% below ME |
| Brewer and Ellsworth 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 |
$1,903Lowest 37% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.7%±13.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7 ME: 48.4% |
65.8%±59.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Surry and Ellsworth 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% |
7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
66.7% ME: 74.3% |
88.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 31% below ME |
25 min about the ME average |
31 minHighest 26% above ME |
| Work from home | 6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
11.4%±5Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Surry 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 | — |
| School district | Brewer Public Schools | Ellsworth Public Schools | Surry Public Schools |
| High school in town | Brewer High School | Ellsworth High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.0Highest |
12.7Lowest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.