What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brunswick has the most people working from home (19.8%).

Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k 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	Brunswick	Ellsworth
People
Population	22,336Highest	8,657Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.3%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+8.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40±2.8Lowest 11% below ME	43±2.4Highest 4% below ME
	Ellsworth and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±2.2Lowest ME: 18.1%	18.4%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1%
	Ellsworth and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±2.2Highest ME: 22.4%	22.1%±3.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Brunswick and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.9%Highest ME: 36.2%	39.3%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.3%±1.1Highest ME: 5.8%	5.3%±2Lowest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,952±$6kLowest about the ME average	$77,375±$18kHighest 4% above ME
	Ellsworth and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$376,300±$15kHighest 27% above ME	$242,300±$22kLowest 18% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,469±$99Highest 29% above ME	$1,017±$195Lowest 11% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,756Highest 57% above ME	$3,262Lowest 7% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.4%±8.8Lowest ME: 48.4%	62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Ellsworth and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.3%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.2%Highest ME: 74.3%	66.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME	1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 5% below ME	25 minHighest about the ME average
Work from home	19.8%±3.8Highest ME: 15.9%	7.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#30 of 133 in ME	#63 of 133 in ME
School district	Brunswick Public Schools · Brunswick-Region 10	Ellsworth Public Schools
High school in town	Brunswick High School	Ellsworth High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	12.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.