What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Northbridge has the most people working from home (16.2%).

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	Northbridge
People
Population	9,652Lowest	16,458Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S.	43.8±2.6Highest 13% above U.S.
	Northbridge 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%	21.1%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Northbridge 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 U.S.: 17.2%	16.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brewer and Northbridge 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.	$111,319±$19kHighest 38% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S.	$448,600±$15kHighest 35% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,207±$102Highest 15% below U.S.
	Northbridge and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.	$4,821Highest 55% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	51.2%±9.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brewer and Northbridge 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%	7.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	70.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.2%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 133 in ME	#226 of 282 in MA
School district	Brewer Public Schools	Northbridge
High school in town	Brewer High School	Northbridge High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	10.8Lowest
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.