What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Mount Desert has the most people working from home (19.1%).

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	Mount Desert
People
Population	9,652Highest	1,671Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+4.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME	54.9±8.2Highest 23% above ME
Kids under 18	20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1%	14.1%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Brewer and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4%	29.1%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4%
	Mount Desert and Brewer 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%	64.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8%	3.9%±4.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Brewer and Mount Desert 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	$92,813±$9kHighest 24% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME	$522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Lowest 5% below ME	$1,341±$89Highest 18% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,374Lowest 11% above ME	$3,512Highest 16% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4%	33.9%±31.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Brewer and Mount Desert 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%	7.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%	84.8%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME	1969Highest 8 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 31% below ME	18 minHighest 27% below ME
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	19.1%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Mount Desert and Brewer 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	Mount Desert Public Schools
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

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.