What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gorham has the oldest population (median age 53.9).

Brewer has the most people working from home (6.9%).

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	Gorham	Brewer
People
Population	2,682Lowest	9,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.	40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S.
Kids under 18	12.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.9%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	31.7%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Gorham and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	35%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brewer and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,275±$7kLowest 24% below U.S.	$66,613±$9kHighest 17% below U.S.
	Brewer and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.	$245,300±$21kHighest 26% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.	$1,086±$54Highest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,334Highest 39% above U.S.	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±20.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.7%±13.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brewer and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	59.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.
Work from home	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	6.9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 120 in NH	#32 of 133 in ME
School district	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District	Brewer Public Schools
High school in town	Gorham High School	Brewer High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	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.