Compare towns
Porter vs Somerville vs Brownfield
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Porter has the most people working from home (15.5%).
Somerville has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.5%).
Brownfield has the most expensive homes ($288k median).
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 | Porter | Somerville | Brownfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,746 |
837Lowest |
1,830Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.8% ME: +2.6% |
+9.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2.1%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.9±7.9Highest 9% below ME |
33.5±11.3Lowest 25% below ME |
39.9±6.8 11% below ME |
| Porter and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 16.8%±4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
28.8%±7Highest ME: 18.1% |
26.7%±5.7 ME: 18.1% |
| Somerville and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.4%±3.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
13.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
18.5%±1.3 ME: 22.4% |
| Porter and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 14%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
25.7%Highest ME: 36.2% |
25.3% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.7%±1.7Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.8%±1.7 ME: 5.8% |
0.7%±0.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Porter and Somerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $60,417±$9kLowest 19% below ME |
$71,250±$15kHighest 5% below ME |
$60,889±$5k 19% below ME |
| Somerville and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $226,100±$20k 24% below ME |
$218,100±$41kLowest 26% below ME |
$287,500±$36kHighest 3% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,583±$265Lowest 39% above ME |
$1,617±$554Highest 42% above ME |
| Brownfield and Somerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,841Lowest 39% below ME |
$2,505 17% below ME |
$2,976Highest about the ME average |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 43.9%±8.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
65.7%±58.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
61.8%±43.7 ME: 48.4% |
| Somerville and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9.8% ME: 10.7% |
17%Highest ME: 10.7% |
8.1%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 87.4% ME: 74.3% |
85.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
87.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1978Lowest 1 yr newer than ME |
1989Highest 12 yrs newer than ME |
1987 10 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 32 min 30% above ME |
27 minLowest 9% above ME |
44 minHighest 80% above ME |
| Work from home | 15.5%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9% |
3.9%±2.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
9.5%±4.5 ME: 15.9% |
| Porter and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | — | RSU 12 | RSU 72/MSAD 72 |
| High school in town | — | None in town | None in town |
| 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.