What stands out worked out from the figures below

St. Albans has the most people working from home (12.1%).

Brewer has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2%).

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	St. Albans	Brewer
People
Population	6,954Lowest	9,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	38.7±2Lowest about the U.S. average	40.1±4.8Highest 3% above U.S.
	Brewer and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.9%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brewer and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	35%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,980±$7kLowest 28% below U.S.	$66,613±$9kHighest 17% below U.S.
	Brewer and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,400±$18kHighest 21% below U.S.	$245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S.
	St. Albans and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$78Highest 19% below U.S.	$1,086±$54Lowest 23% below U.S.
	St. Albans and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,436Highest 42% above U.S.	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.8%±11.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.7%±13.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brewer and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	12.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	59.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.	1959Highest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.
Work from home	12.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	St. Albans 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	#46 of 70 in VT	#32 of 133 in ME
School district	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57	Brewer Public Schools
High school in town	Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)	Brewer High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	14.0Highest
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.