Compare towns
Brewer vs Mapleton vs South Windham
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%).
Mapleton has the most affordable homes ($192k median).
South Windham has the most people working from home (24.5%).
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 | Mapleton | South Windham |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 9,652Highest |
1,884 |
1,212Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-3.2% ME: +2.6% |
-11.6%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.1±4.8 10% below ME |
41.8±6Highest 7% below ME |
36.5±13.2Lowest 19% below ME |
| Mapleton and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
22.2%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
3.6%±4.8Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Mapleton and Brewer 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%±3.1 ME: 22.4% |
7.3%±5.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Brewer and Mapleton 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% |
34.3%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
35.6%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
5%±2.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
6.9%±5.5 ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and South Windham 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 |
$91,731±$25k 23% above ME |
$133,223±$21kHighest 78% above ME |
| South Windham and Mapleton 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 |
$191,800±$23kLowest 35% below ME |
$314,300±$81kHighest 6% above ME |
| South Windham and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$610±$277Lowest 46% below ME |
$1,824±$2kHighest 60% above ME |
| South Windham and Brewer 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 |
$1,789Lowest 41% below ME |
$2,941 3% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
16.7%±10.5 ME: 48.4% |
0%±27.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Below poverty line | 12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
8.9%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
9.4% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
79.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
79.6% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1989Highest 12 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 31% below ME |
28 min 13% above ME |
34 minHighest 37% above ME |
| Work from home | 6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
10.8%±3.8 ME: 15.9% |
24.5%±15.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
| South Windham and Mapleton 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 | — | — |
| School district | Brewer Public Schools | RSU 79/MSAD 01 | — |
| High school in town | Brewer High School | None in town | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.0 |
— | — |
| 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.