Compare towns
Brewer vs Orrington
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).
Orrington has the most people working from home (11.4%).
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 | Orrington |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 9,652Highest |
3,853Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2.1%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
49.5±3.3Highest 10% above ME |
| Kids under 18 | 20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
16.4%±4.8Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Orrington 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% |
23.8%±5.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Orrington 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% |
44.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.4%±2.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and Orrington 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 |
$94,556±$10kHighest 27% above ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
$309,000±$49kHighest 4% above ME |
| Orrington and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,086±$54Lowest 5% below ME |
$1,167±$135Highest about the ME average |
| Orrington 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 |
$2,823Lowest 7% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
11.9%±20.6Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Below poverty line | 12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.6%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
88.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1989Highest 12 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 31% below ME |
21 minHighest 13% below ME |
| Work from home | 6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.4%±5.3Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Orrington 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 | #41 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Brewer Public Schools | Orrington Public Schools |
| High school in town | Brewer High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.0 |
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| On TownTapestry | ||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.