Compare towns
Friendship vs Brewer
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Friendship has the most people working from home (17.9%).
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.
| Measure | Friendship | Brewer |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 1,213Lowest |
9,652Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.9%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 55.5±6.9Highest 24% above ME |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
| Kids under 18 | 15.3%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Friendship are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Age 65+ | 37.3%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 39.6%Highest ME: 36.2% |
35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 0.8%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $75,625±$22kHighest about the ME average |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
| Friendship and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $275,000±$56kHighest 7% below ME |
$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
| Friendship and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,370±$53Highest 20% above ME |
$1,086±$54Lowest 5% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,218Lowest 27% below ME |
$3,374Highest 11% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 37.5%±42.4Lowest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Brewer and Friendship are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 10%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 91.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1973Highest 4 yrs older than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 25 minHighest about the ME average |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
| Work from home | 17.9%±7.4Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #32 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 40/MSAD 40 | 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 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.