What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Washburn has the most affordable homes ($113k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Brewer	Washburn
People
Population	9,652Highest	1,355Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Highest ME: +2.6%	-9.5%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME	48.2±7.7Highest 8% above ME
	Washburn 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%	21.7%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1%
	Washburn 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%±3.7Highest ME: 22.4%
	Washburn 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%Highest ME: 36.2%	26%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8%	3.6%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Brewer and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,613±$9kHighest 11% below ME	$56,196±$6kLowest 25% below ME
	Brewer and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$21kHighest 17% below ME	$112,900±$14kLowest 62% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Highest 5% below ME	$482±$62Lowest 58% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,374Highest 11% above ME	$1,571Lowest 48% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4%	33.3%±24.7Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Brewer and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%	12.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%	78.2%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME	1969Highest 8 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 31% below ME	21 minHighest 15% below ME
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	9.7%±3.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Washburn 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	RSU 45/MSAD 45
High school in town	Brewer High School	Washburn District High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	12.0Lowest
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.