Compare towns
Brewer vs Gray vs Farmington
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).
Gray has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.5%).
Farmington has the most people working from home (20%).
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 | Gray | Farmington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 9,652Highest |
8,429 |
8,157Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2% ME: +2.6% |
+6.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-2.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.1±4.8 10% below ME |
43.4±4.5Highest 3% below ME |
38.2±3.3Lowest 15% below ME |
| Gray 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 ME: 18.1% |
19%±4 ME: 18.1% |
10.6%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Gray 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% |
19.3%±4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
20.7%±3.8 ME: 22.4% |
| Brewer and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
44.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
38.1% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.7%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±2.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
20.6%±3.7Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $66,613±$9k 11% below ME |
$95,236±$8kHighest 27% above ME |
$54,276±$7kLowest 27% below ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $245,300±$21k 17% below ME |
$363,700±$20kHighest 23% above ME |
$166,600±$18kLowest 44% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$1,371±$89Highest 20% above ME |
$902±$106Lowest 21% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,374 11% above ME |
$3,683Highest 21% above ME |
$1,958Lowest 36% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±24Highest ME: 48.4% |
44.2%±12.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Gray and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 12.5% ME: 10.7% |
3.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
15.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.7% ME: 74.3% |
82.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
55.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1975 2 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 31% below ME |
29 minHighest 16% above ME |
27 min 9% above ME |
| Work from home | 6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
20%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Farmington and Gray 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 | #10 of 133 in ME | #64 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Brewer Public Schools | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences | RSU 09 |
| High school in town | Brewer High School | Gray-New Gloucester High School | Mt Blue High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.0 |
12.5Lowest |
14.2Highest |
| 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.