Compare towns
Dayton vs Windham vs Brewer
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Dayton has the most homeowners (89.7%).
Windham has the most people working from home (19%).
Brewer has the most affordable homes ($245k 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.
| Measure | Dayton | Windham | Brewer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 2,313Lowest |
19,188Highest |
9,652 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +8.3% ME: +2.6% |
+8.4%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 42.1±5.5Highest 6% below ME |
41.8±1.8 7% below ME |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
| Dayton and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20.4%±4 ME: 18.1% |
19.2%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 14.3%±3.2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
15.9%±2.1 ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 27.6%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
44.2%Highest ME: 36.2% |
35% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.1%±2.6 ME: 5.8% |
3.9%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $113,750±$24kHighest 52% above ME |
$107,934±$14k 44% above ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
| Dayton and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $398,200±$34kHighest 34% above ME |
$388,900±$22k 31% above ME |
$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
| Dayton and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,215±$867 7% above ME |
$1,232±$332Highest 8% above ME |
$1,086±$54Lowest 5% below ME |
| Windham and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,872 28% above ME |
$3,938Highest 30% above ME |
$3,374Lowest 11% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 38%±19.6 ME: 48.4% |
32.7%±14.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Brewer and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 3.7% ME: 10.7% |
3.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 89.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
84.6% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME |
1985 8 yrs newer than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 26% above ME |
26 min 7% above ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
| Work from home | 16.3%±3.9 ME: 15.9% |
19%±4.1Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Windham and Dayton 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 | — | #95 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Dayton Public Schools | RSU 14 | Brewer Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | Windham High School | Brewer High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.1Lowest |
14.0Highest |
| 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.