Compare towns
Brewer vs Ogunquit vs Thomaston vs Gardiner
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Brewer has the most renters (40.3% rent).
Ogunquit has grown the fastest since 2010 (+76.8%).
Thomaston has the shortest commute (14 min average).
Gardiner has the most affordable homes ($222k median).
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 | Ogunquit | Thomaston | Gardiner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 9,652Highest |
1,379Lowest |
2,769 |
6,088 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2% ME: +2.6% |
+76.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-1.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2.8% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
62.8±4.8Highest 40% above ME |
58.1±6.6 30% above ME |
42±3.6 6% below ME |
| Ogunquit and Thomaston 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% |
5.7%±3.2Lowest ME: 18.1% |
19.2%±5.7 ME: 18.1% |
16.6%±3.6 ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
43.6%±10.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
35.5%±8.6 ME: 22.4% |
19.7%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Ogunquit and Thomaston 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% |
63.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
30.9% ME: 36.2% |
29.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.2%±2.8 ME: 5.8% |
1.6%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.1%±1.8 ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and Ogunquit are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $66,613±$9k 11% below ME |
$114,259±$56kHighest 53% above ME |
$56,435±$13kLowest 24% below ME |
$71,782±$10k 4% below ME |
| Ogunquit and Gardiner 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 |
$875,700±$79kHighest 195% above ME |
$271,700±$10k 8% below ME |
$221,600±$19kLowest 25% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,086±$54Lowest 5% below ME |
— | $1,262±$343Highest 11% above ME |
$1,113±$191 about the ME average |
| Thomaston and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,374 11% above ME |
$4,473 47% above ME |
$4,487Highest 48% above ME |
$2,742Lowest 10% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
0%±61.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
60.5%±23.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
44.6%±13.7 ME: 48.4% |
| Thomaston 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 ME: 10.7% |
3.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
6.6% ME: 10.7% |
10.5% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
94.3%Highest ME: 74.3% |
73.9% ME: 74.3% |
68.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959 18 yrs older than ME |
1978Highest 1 yr newer than ME |
1951 26 yrs older than ME |
1944Lowest 33 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 17 min 31% below ME |
26 min 7% above ME |
14 minLowest 45% below ME |
30 minHighest 22% above ME |
| Work from home | 6.9%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
43.3%±12.4Highest ME: 15.9% |
4.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
13.9%±4.1 ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #32 of 133 in ME | — | #99 of 133 in ME | #36 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Brewer Public Schools | — | RSU 13 | RSU 11/MSAD 11 |
| High school in town | Brewer High School | — | None in town | Gardiner Area High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.0Highest |
— | — | 11.8Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.