What stands out worked out from the figures below

Deerfield has the most people working from home (17.5%).

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

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	Deerfield	Brewer
People
Population	5,158Lowest	9,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.8±3.6Highest 33% above U.S.	40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S.
Kids under 18	13.2%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.9%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brewer and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Deerfield and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.9%±3.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	7.7%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Deerfield and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$106,136±$14kHighest 31% above U.S.	$66,613±$9kLowest 17% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$414,900±$37kHighest 25% above U.S.	$245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,334±$318Highest 6% below U.S.	$1,086±$54Lowest 23% below U.S.
	Deerfield and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,824Highest 87% above U.S.	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.1%±15.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.7%±13.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	59.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minHighest 33% below U.S.	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.
Work from home	17.5%±6.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#156 of 282 in MA	#32 of 133 in ME
School district	Deerfield · Frontier	Brewer Public Schools
High school in town	Frontier Regional	Brewer High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	14.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.