What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Rome has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13.7%).

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	Rome
People
Population	9,652Highest	1,215Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+13.7%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME	48.3±9.2Highest 8% above ME
	Rome 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 ME: 18.1%	21.4%±6.3Highest ME: 18.1%
	Rome and Brewer 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%	24.7%±9.1Highest ME: 22.4%
	Rome 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%	39.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8%	5.2%±4.8Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Brewer and Rome 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	$77,639±$25kHighest 4% above ME
	Rome and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME	$329,300±$36kHighest 11% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Lowest 5% below ME	$1,150±$56Highest about the ME average
	Rome 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	$1,829Lowest 40% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4%	54.2%±59.8Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Brewer and Rome 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%	10.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%	91.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME	1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 31% below ME	30 minHighest 21% above ME
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	7.4%±3.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Rome 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	—
High school in town	Brewer High School	—
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.