What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Waterville has the most people working from home (16.6%).

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	Waterville
People
Population	9,652Lowest	17,077Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Highest ME: +2.6%	+0.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.1±4.8Highest 10% below ME	35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME
	Brewer and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1%	14.4%±2.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Brewer and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4%	18.3%±2.5Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Brewer and Waterville 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%	30.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	18.1%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,613±$9kHighest 11% below ME	$53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME
	Brewer and Waterville 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	$184,600±$21kLowest 38% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Highest 5% below ME	$978±$72Lowest 14% below ME
	Brewer and Waterville 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	$2,755Lowest 9% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4%	50.5%±8.7Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Brewer and Waterville 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%	20.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Highest ME: 74.3%	48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959 18 yrs older than ME	1959 18 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 31% below ME	18 minHighest 27% below ME
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	16.6%±5.6Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 133 in ME	#105 of 133 in ME
School district	Brewer Public Schools	Waterville Public Schools
High school in town	Brewer High School	Waterville Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	12.8Lowest
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.