What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brewer has the most affordable homes ($245k median).

Stowe has grown the fastest since 2010 (+21.1%).

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	Stowe
People
Population	9,652Highest	5,285Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+21.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S.	46.3±7.6Highest 19% above U.S.
	Stowe 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%	22.5%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Stowe 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 U.S.: 17.2%	25.8%±6.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stowe 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 U.S.: 35.7%	66.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.6%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,613±$9kLowest 17% below U.S.	$93,618±$33kHighest 16% above U.S.
	Stowe 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 26% below U.S.	$647,800±$157kHighest 95% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,458±$242Highest 3% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.	$7,161Highest 130% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	24.5%±15.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	12.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	78.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.	19 minHighest 27% below U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.4%±8.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 133 in ME	—
School district	Brewer Public Schools	Stowe Town School District
High school in town	Brewer High School	Stowe High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	11.3Lowest
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.