Compare towns
Steep Falls vs Brewer vs Porter
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Steep Falls has the highest household income ($80k).
Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).
Porter has the most people working from home (15.5%).
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 | Steep Falls | Brewer | Porter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,861 |
9,652Highest |
1,746Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.4%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.8% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 44.1±6.5Highest about the ME average |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
40.9±7.9 9% below ME |
| Steep Falls and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 22.9%±9.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
16.8%±4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Steep Falls and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 9.7%±5.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4% |
20.4%±3.2 ME: 22.4% |
| Brewer and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 14.5% ME: 36.2% |
35%Highest ME: 36.2% |
14%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.5%±3.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±1.7 ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $80,280±$33kHighest 7% above ME |
$66,613±$9k 11% below ME |
$60,417±$9kLowest 19% below ME |
| Steep Falls and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $243,400±$31k 18% below ME |
$245,300±$21kHighest 17% below ME |
$226,100±$20kLowest 24% below ME |
| Brewer and Steep Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,516±$1kHighest 33% above ME |
$1,086±$54Lowest 5% below ME |
— |
| Steep Falls and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,273 8% above ME |
$3,374Highest 11% above ME |
$1,841Lowest 39% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 66.4%±36.1Highest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
43.9%±8.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Steep Falls and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 7.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9.8% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 80.2% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
87.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1970 7 yrs older than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1978Highest 1 yr newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 min 25% above ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
32 minHighest 30% above ME |
| Work from home | 4%±4.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
15.5%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9% |
| 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.