Compare towns
Old Town vs Hope vs Brewer
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Old Town has the most people working from home (21.4%).
Hope has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.5%).
Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).
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 | Old Town | Hope | Brewer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 7,470 |
1,748Lowest |
9,652Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -5.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+10.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 37±1.5Lowest 17% below ME |
44.6±3.1Highest about the ME average |
40.1±4.8 10% below ME |
| Hope and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 21.8%±4.1 ME: 18.1% |
23.3%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Hope and Old Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 16.9%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
21.1%±1.3 ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Brewer and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 36.8% ME: 36.2% |
47.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 13.2%±6.6Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
| Old Town and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $51,585±$10kLowest 31% below ME |
$86,766±$6kHighest 16% above ME |
$66,613±$9k 11% below ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $208,100±$26kLowest 30% below ME |
$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME |
$245,300±$21k 17% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $989±$100Lowest 13% below ME |
$1,219±$182Highest 7% above ME |
$1,086±$54 5% below ME |
| Hope and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,153Lowest 4% above ME |
$3,842Highest 27% above ME |
$3,374 11% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 50.3%±15 ME: 48.4% |
37.8%±38.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Brewer and Old Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 21.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.5% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
92.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.7% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1963 14 yrs older than ME |
1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 20 minHighest 18% below ME |
20 min 19% below ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
| Work from home | 21.4%±11.3Highest ME: 15.9% |
18.3%±10.2 ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Old Town and Hope 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 | #56 of 133 in ME | — | #32 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 34 | Hope Public Schools | Brewer Public Schools |
| High school in town | Old Town High School | None in town | Brewer High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.8Lowest |
— | 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.