Compare towns
Brunswick vs Brewer vs Hermon
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Brunswick has the most people working from home (18%).
Brewer has the most affordable homes ($245k median).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
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.
| Measure | Brunswick | Brewer | Hermon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 17,652Highest |
9,652 |
6,727Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +12.2% ME: +2.6% |
+2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+19.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 37.9±2.2Lowest 15% below ME |
40.1±4.8 10% below ME |
41.1±4.7Highest 8% below ME |
| Hermon and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 16.1%±2.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
21.6%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Hermon and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 23%±2.4Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
20.4%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Brunswick and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 51.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
37.6% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 15.4%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $70,722±$5k 5% below ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
$96,629±$22kHighest 29% above ME |
| Hermon and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $363,200±$18kHighest 22% above ME |
$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
$333,600±$32k 12% above ME |
| Brunswick and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,465±$100Highest 29% above ME |
$1,086±$54Lowest 5% below ME |
$1,406±$202 23% above ME |
| Brunswick and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,477Highest 47% above ME |
$3,374 11% above ME |
$2,761Lowest 9% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 58.8%±9.2Highest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
28.2%±19.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Brunswick and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 8.6% ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.8%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 66.3% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
75.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1977 same as ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
2000Highest 23 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minHighest 7% below ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
23 min 8% below ME |
| Work from home | 18%±4.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.2 ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #30 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME | #54 of 133 in ME |
| School district | — | Brewer Public Schools | Hermon Public Schools |
| High school in town | — | Brewer High School | Hermon High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.0Lowest |
14.6Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.