Compare towns
Westbrook vs Somerville vs Brewer
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Westbrook has the most people working from home (17.8%).
Somerville has the most homeowners (85.8%).
Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).
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 | Westbrook | Somerville | Brewer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 20,775Highest |
837Lowest |
9,652 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +16.6%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+9.5% ME: +2.6% |
+2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 37.4±1 17% below ME |
33.5±11.3Lowest 25% below ME |
40.1±4.8Highest 10% below ME |
| Brewer and Westbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 18.5%±2.4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
28.8%±7Highest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
| Somerville and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.1%±2.2 ME: 22.4% |
13.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Brewer and Westbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 41.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
25.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
35% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 9%±2.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.8%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
7.7%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
| Westbrook and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $85,038±$7kHighest 14% above ME |
$71,250±$15k 5% below ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
| Westbrook and Somerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $383,300±$19kHighest 29% above ME |
$218,100±$41kLowest 26% below ME |
$245,300±$21k 17% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,392±$74 22% above ME |
$1,583±$265Highest 39% above ME |
$1,086±$54Lowest 5% below ME |
| Somerville and Westbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,005Highest 32% above ME |
$2,505Lowest 17% below ME |
$3,374 11% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 46.1%±7.4Lowest ME: 48.4% |
65.7%±58.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
55.7%±13.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Somerville and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 8%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
17%Highest ME: 10.7% |
12.5% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 61.2% ME: 74.3% |
85.8%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975 2 yrs older than ME |
1989Highest 12 yrs newer than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 min 24% below ME |
27 minHighest 9% above ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
| Work from home | 17.8%±2.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
3.9%±2.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #115 of 133 in ME | — | #32 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Westbrook Public Schools | RSU 12 | Brewer Public Schools |
| High school in town | Westbrook High School | None in town | Brewer High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.0Lowest |
— | 14.0Highest |
| 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.