Compare towns
Jay vs Brewer vs Pittston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Jay has the most affordable homes ($169k median).
Brewer has the most people working from home (6.9%).
Pittston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.8%).
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 | Jay | Brewer | Pittston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 4,657 |
9,652Highest |
3,093Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2% ME: +2.6% |
+7.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 39.5±5.1Lowest 12% below ME |
40.1±4.8 10% below ME |
41.4±5.9Highest 8% below ME |
| Pittston and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.5%±5.4 ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
17.2%±7.4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.3%±4.7 ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.5%±6.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Brewer and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 29.7% ME: 36.2% |
35%Highest ME: 36.2% |
26.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±3.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±4.1 ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $70,238±$19k 6% below ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
$86,614±$18kHighest 16% above ME |
| Pittston and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $168,600±$27kLowest 43% below ME |
$245,300±$21kHighest 17% below ME |
$238,700±$66k 20% below ME |
| Brewer and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $759±$141Lowest 33% below ME |
$1,086±$54Highest 5% below ME |
$1,080±$593 5% below ME |
| Brewer and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,245 26% below ME |
$3,374Highest 11% above ME |
$1,909Lowest 37% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 27.2%±28.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
57.6%±34.6Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Pittston and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9.8%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
10.2% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
81% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 21 min 13% below ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
26 minHighest 7% above ME |
| Work from home | 4.8%±5.9 ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
3.8%±3.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Brewer and Jay 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 | #86 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME | #123 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 73 | Brewer Public Schools | RSU 11/MSAD 11 |
| High school in town | Spruce Mountain High School | Brewer High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.7Lowest |
14.0Highest |
— |
| 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.