What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whitingham has the most homeowners (85.2%).

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	Whitingham	Brewer
People
Population	1,368Lowest	9,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±7.1Highest 19% above U.S.	40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S.
	Whitingham and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.8%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.9%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brewer and Whitingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.1%±2.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	35%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,625±$11kHighest 13% below U.S.	$66,613±$9kLowest 17% below U.S.
	Whitingham and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$262,300±$30kHighest 21% below U.S.	$245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S.
	Whitingham and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$673±$150Lowest 52% below U.S.	$1,086±$54Highest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,055Highest 62% above U.S.	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.7%±47.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	55.7%±13.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Whitingham and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	12.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	59.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 6 yrs older than U.S.	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 44% above U.S.	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.
Work from home	9.7%±5.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Whitingham 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	—	#32 of 133 in ME
School district	Twin Valley Unified School District #75	Brewer Public Schools
High school in town	Twin Valley Middle High School	Brewer High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.8Lowest	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.