What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Needham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.1%).

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	Needham
People
Population	9,652Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.
	Needham and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	22.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brewer and Needham 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%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brewer and Needham 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.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Lowest 23% below U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Needham and Brewer 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%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 133 in ME	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Brewer Public Schools	Needham
High school in town	Brewer High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	11.9Lowest
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.