Compare towns
Brewer vs Hermon vs Union
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).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
Union has the most people working from home (15.9%).
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 | Hermon | Union |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 9,652Highest |
6,727 |
2,663Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+19.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+5.5% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
41.1±4.7 8% below ME |
41.6±5.3Highest 7% below ME |
| Union and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20.9%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1% |
21.6%±4.6 ME: 18.1% |
24.9%±4Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Union and Hermon 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% |
20.4%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4% |
21.4%±3.1 ME: 22.4% |
| Brewer and Union 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% |
37.6%Highest ME: 36.2% |
34.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.1 ME: 5.8% |
3.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and Hermon 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 |
$96,629±$22kHighest 29% above ME |
$80,724±$9k 8% above ME |
| Hermon and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
$333,600±$32kHighest 12% above ME |
$267,600±$42k 10% below ME |
| Hermon and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,086±$54Lowest 5% below ME |
$1,406±$202Highest 23% above ME |
$1,179±$452 4% above ME |
| Hermon and Union 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 |
$2,761Lowest 9% below ME |
$3,276 8% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
28.2%±19.1 ME: 48.4% |
24.6%±19.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Brewer and Hermon 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% |
6.8%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
10.2% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
75.2% ME: 74.3% |
85.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
2000Highest 23 yrs newer than ME |
1979 2 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 31% below ME |
23 min 8% below ME |
29 minHighest 20% above ME |
| Work from home | 6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.2 ME: 15.9% |
15.9%±5.3Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Union and Hermon 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 | #54 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Brewer Public Schools | Hermon Public Schools | RSU 40/MSAD 40 |
| High school in town | Brewer High School | Hermon High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.0Lowest |
14.6Highest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.