Compare towns
Eddington vs Brewer vs Orono
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Eddington has the most people working from home (15.6%).
Brewer has the most kids (20.9% under 18).
Orono has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.5%).
Orono is a college town. 59.8% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.
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 | Eddington | Brewer | Orono |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 2,223Lowest |
9,652 |
11,151Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.4%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2% ME: +2.6% |
+7.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 54.9±4.1Highest 23% above ME |
40.1±4.8 10% below ME |
21.6±0.3Lowest 52% below ME |
| Kids under 18 | 14.3%±3.9 ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
6.8%±1.6Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Eddington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 26.5%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
11%±2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Eddington and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 30.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
35% ME: 36.2% |
69.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.5%±1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
59.8%±3.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $75,350±$18kHighest about the ME average |
$66,613±$9k 11% below ME |
$59,784±$5kLowest 20% below ME |
| Eddington and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $268,000±$45kHighest 10% below ME |
$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
$262,900±$39k 11% below ME |
| Eddington and Orono are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,127±$49 about the ME average |
$1,086±$54Lowest 5% below ME |
$1,280±$117Highest 12% above ME |
| Orono and Eddington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,758Lowest 9% below ME |
$3,374 11% above ME |
$4,778Highest 57% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 29.2%±45.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
60.2%±11.1Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Orono and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.5% ME: 10.7% |
27%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 80.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.7% ME: 74.3% |
41.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1979Highest 2 yrs newer than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1976 1 yr older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 32 minHighest 30% above ME |
17 min 31% below ME |
15 minLowest 38% below ME |
| Work from home | 15.6%±9.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11%±3.2 ME: 15.9% |
| Eddington and Orono 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 | — | #32 of 133 in ME | #26 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 63/MSAD 63 | Brewer Public Schools | — |
| High school in town | None in town | Brewer High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.0 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.