Compare towns
Oakland vs Brewer vs Waterville
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Oakland has the most homeowners (77.6%).
Brewer has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2%).
Waterville has the most people working from home (16.6%).
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 | Oakland | Brewer | Waterville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 6,309Lowest |
9,652 |
17,077Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+0.7% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.2±6.9Highest 10% below ME |
40.1±4.8 10% below ME |
35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME |
| Oakland and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 23.8%±5.2Highest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
14.4%±2.4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Oakland and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.2%±3.4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.3%±2.5 ME: 22.4% |
| Brewer and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 24.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
35%Highest ME: 36.2% |
30.8% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.9%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
18.1%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $77,813±$16kHighest 4% above ME |
$66,613±$9k 11% below ME |
$53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME |
| Oakland and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $236,000±$23k 20% below ME |
$245,300±$21kHighest 17% below ME |
$184,600±$21kLowest 38% below ME |
| Brewer and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $939±$74Lowest 18% below ME |
$1,086±$54Highest 5% below ME |
$978±$72 14% below ME |
| Brewer and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,439Lowest 20% below ME |
$3,374Highest 11% above ME |
$2,755 9% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 65.7%±14.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
50.5%±8.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Oakland and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 8.1%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.5% ME: 10.7% |
20.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 77.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.7% ME: 74.3% |
48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 27 minHighest 8% above ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
18 min 27% below ME |
| Work from home | 8.4%±4.1 ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
16.6%±5.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Waterville and Oakland 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 | #23 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME | #105 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 18 | Brewer Public Schools | Waterville Public Schools |
| High school in town | Messalonskee High School | Brewer High School | Waterville Senior High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.2Highest |
14.0 |
12.8Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 6 photos → | 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.