Compare towns
Topsham vs Brewer vs Gray
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Topsham has the most people working from home (17.2%).
Brewer has the most affordable homes ($245k median).
Gray has the highest household income ($95k).
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 | Topsham | Brewer | Gray |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 9,706Highest |
9,652 |
8,429Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +8.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.5% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 44.7±4Highest about the ME average |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
43.4±4.5 3% below ME |
| Topsham and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±3.6 ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
19%±4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Brewer and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 24.4%±3.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Topsham and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 50%Highest ME: 36.2% |
35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
44.8% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.9%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±2.2 ME: 5.8% |
| Brewer and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $91,028±$10k 22% above ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
$95,236±$8kHighest 27% above ME |
| Gray and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $360,800±$20k 22% above ME |
$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
$363,700±$20kHighest 23% above ME |
| Gray and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,355±$642 19% above ME |
$1,086±$54Lowest 5% below ME |
$1,371±$89Highest 20% above ME |
| Gray and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,259Highest 40% above ME |
$3,374Lowest 11% above ME |
$3,683 21% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 40.3%±12.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±24Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Gray and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.4% ME: 10.7% |
12.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
3.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 78.9% ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min 4% below ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
29 minHighest 16% above ME |
| Work from home | 17.2%±4.3Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
| Topsham and Gray 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 | #66 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME | #10 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 75/MSAD 75 | Brewer Public Schools | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences |
| High school in town | Mt Ararat High School | Brewer High School | Gray-New Gloucester High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.2Lowest |
14.0Highest |
12.5 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.