What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sheffield has the most affordable homes ($172k median).

Brunswick has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.3%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Sheffield	Brunswick
People
Population	573Lowest	22,336Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42±8Highest 8% above U.S.	40±2.8Lowest about the U.S. average
	Sheffield and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±6.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.2%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brunswick and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.2%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.9%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brunswick and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	53.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	13.3%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$58,333±$26kLowest 28% below U.S.	$74,952±$6kHighest 7% below U.S.
	Brunswick and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$171,900±$50kLowest 48% below U.S.	$376,300±$15kHighest 13% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$967±$79Lowest 32% below U.S.	$1,469±$99Highest 4% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,123Lowest 32% below U.S.	$4,756Highest 52% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.5%±41.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	56.4%±8.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sheffield and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1982Lowest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.	23 minLowest 11% below U.S.
Work from home	6.1%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.8%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#30 of 133 in ME
School district	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64	Brunswick Public Schools · Brunswick-Region 10
High school in town	None in town	Brunswick High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.9
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.