What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterville has the most people working from home (16.6%).

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	Waterville	Brewer
People
Population	17,077Highest	9,652Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME	40.1±4.8Highest 10% below ME
	Brewer and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±2.4Lowest ME: 18.1%	20.9%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1%
	Brewer and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.3%±2.5Lowest ME: 22.4%	22.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4%
	Brewer and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%	35%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	18.1%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%	7.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME	$66,613±$9kHighest 11% below ME
	Brewer and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,600±$21kLowest 38% below ME	$245,300±$21kHighest 17% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$978±$72Lowest 14% below ME	$1,086±$54Highest 5% below ME
	Brewer and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,755Lowest 9% below ME	$3,374Highest 11% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.5%±8.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	55.7%±13.3Highest ME: 48.4%
	Brewer and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	20.6%Highest ME: 10.7%	12.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	59.7%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959 18 yrs older than ME	1959 18 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minHighest 27% below ME	17 minLowest 31% below ME
Work from home	16.6%±5.6Highest ME: 15.9%	6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#105 of 133 in ME	#32 of 133 in ME
School district	Waterville Public Schools	Brewer Public Schools
High school in town	Waterville Senior High School	Brewer High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	14.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.