What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brewer has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2%).

St. Albans has the most people working from home (12.1%).

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	St. Albans
People
Population	9,652Highest	6,954Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±4.8Highest 3% above U.S.	38.7±2Lowest about the U.S. average
	Brewer and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brewer and St. Albans 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%	13.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	31.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.7%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,613±$9kHighest 17% below U.S.	$57,980±$7kLowest 28% below U.S.
	Brewer and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S.	$263,400±$18kHighest 21% below U.S.
	St. Albans 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 23% below U.S.	$1,150±$78Highest 19% below U.S.
	St. Albans 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.	$4,436Highest 42% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	51.8%±11.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brewer and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	19.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	49%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Highest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	12.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	St. Albans 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	#46 of 70 in VT
School district	Brewer Public Schools	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57
High school in town	Brewer High School	Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	11.4Lowest
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.