Compare towns
Brewer vs Lewiston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Brewer has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2%).
Lewiston has the most people working from home (12.3%).
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 | Lewiston |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 9,652Lowest |
38,324Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+1.4%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.1±4.8Highest 10% below ME |
37.3±1.2Lowest 17% below ME |
| Brewer and Lewiston 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% |
20.6%±1.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Lewiston 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% |
18.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Brewer and Lewiston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 35%Highest ME: 36.2% |
22.6%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
10.1%±1Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Lewiston and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $66,613±$9kHighest 11% below ME |
$55,393±$4kLowest 26% below ME |
| Brewer and Lewiston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $245,300±$21kHighest 17% below ME |
$235,100±$8kLowest 21% below ME |
| Brewer and Lewiston 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 |
$986±$44Lowest 13% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,374Highest 11% above ME |
$2,899Lowest 5% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
51.7%±5.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Brewer and Lewiston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 12.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
20%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
51.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Highest 18 yrs older than ME |
1957Lowest 20 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 31% below ME |
21 minHighest 15% below ME |
| Work from home | 6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±2.4Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #32 of 133 in ME | #132 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Brewer Public Schools | Lewiston Public Schools · Acadia Academy |
| High school in town | Brewer High School | Lewiston High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.0Lowest |
14.7Highest |
| On TownTapestry | ||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.