What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brewer has the most affordable homes ($245k median).

Ipswich has the most expensive homes ($745k median).

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	Ipswich
People
Population	9,652Lowest	13,930Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S.	47.2±3.5Highest 21% above U.S.
	Ipswich 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 U.S.: 22%	18.9%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brewer and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brewer and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brewer and Ipswich 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 17% below U.S.	$138,750±$16kHighest 72% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S.	$745,400±$40kHighest 124% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,598±$90Highest 13% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.	$7,960Highest 155% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	51.5%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brewer and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	74.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1964Highest 16 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.9%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 133 in ME	#101 of 282 in MA
School district	Brewer Public Schools	Ipswich
High school in town	Brewer High School	Ipswich High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	9.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

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.