Compare towns
Old Town vs Orono 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%).
Orono has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.9%).
Brewer has the oldest population (median age 40.1).
Orono is a college town. 56.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.
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 | Orono | Brewer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 7,470Lowest |
11,902Highest |
9,652 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -5.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 37±1.5 17% below ME |
21.8±0.3Lowest 51% below ME |
40.1±4.8Highest 10% below ME |
| Brewer and Old Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 21.8%±4.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
6.8%±1.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
| Old Town and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 16.9%±3.5 ME: 22.4% |
11.4%±1.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Brewer and Old Town 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% |
66.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 13.2%±6.6 ME: 5.8% |
56.1%±3.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $51,585±$10kLowest 31% below ME |
$61,528±$5k 18% below ME |
$66,613±$9kHighest 11% below ME |
| Brewer and Orono are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $208,100±$26kLowest 30% below ME |
$272,600±$40kHighest 8% below ME |
$245,300±$21k 17% below ME |
| Orono and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $989±$100Lowest 13% below ME |
$1,255±$112Highest 10% above ME |
$1,086±$54 5% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,153Lowest 4% above ME |
$4,830Highest 59% above ME |
$3,374 11% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 50.3%±15Lowest ME: 48.4% |
58.1%±10.6Highest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Orono and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 21.3% ME: 10.7% |
24.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.3% ME: 74.3% |
46.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1963 14 yrs older than ME |
1977Highest same as ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 20 minHighest 18% below ME |
15 minLowest 38% below ME |
17 min 31% below ME |
| Work from home | 21.4%±11.3Highest ME: 15.9% |
11.3%±3.2 ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Old Town and Orono 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 | #26 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 34 | RSU 26 | Brewer Public Schools |
| High school in town | Old Town High School | Orono High School | Brewer High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.8 |
10.7Lowest |
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.