Compare towns
Patten vs Brewer vs Crystal
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Patten has the most people working from home (28.7%).
Brewer has the most expensive homes ($245k median).
Crystal has the most homeowners (92.8%).
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 | Patten | Brewer | Crystal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,154 |
9,652Highest |
247Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -13.4%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 57.8±3.5 29% above ME |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
63.2±8.4Highest 41% above ME |
| Crystal and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 11.3%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
16.2%±11.8 ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 38.5%±3.3 ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
49%±5.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 25.1% ME: 36.2% |
35%Highest ME: 36.2% |
22.9%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.1%±1.1 ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
0%±6.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $51,484±$6k 31% below ME |
$66,613±$9kHighest 11% below ME |
$48,125±$13kLowest 36% below ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $127,600±$49kLowest 57% below ME |
$245,300±$21kHighest 17% below ME |
$129,200±$60k 56% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $389±$99Lowest 66% below ME |
$1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$1,563±$922Highest 37% above ME |
| Crystal and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,199 61% below ME |
$3,374Highest 11% above ME |
$943Lowest 69% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 56%±64.1Highest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
14.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Patten and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 23.2%Highest ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
14.7% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.5% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
92.8%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1966 11 yrs older than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1974Highest 3 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 minHighest 13% above ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
27 min 10% above ME |
| Work from home | 28.7%±19.4Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
0%±15.1Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Patten and Brewer 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 | — | #32 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | — | Brewer Public Schools | — |
| High school in town | — | Brewer High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.0 |
— |
| 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.