Compare towns
Winthrop 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
Winthrop has the most people working from home (23.1%).
Brewer has the shortest commute (17 min average).
Gray has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.5%).
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 | Winthrop | Brewer | Gray |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 6,191Lowest |
9,652Highest |
8,429 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +0.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2% ME: +2.6% |
+6.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 43.6±5.3Highest about the ME average |
40.1±4.8Lowest 10% below ME |
43.4±4.5 3% below ME |
| Winthrop and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 22.9%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
19%±4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Winthrop and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 23.4%±5Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Winthrop and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 40% ME: 36.2% |
35%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
44.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.5%±2.4Lowest 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 | $86,470±$4k 16% above ME |
$66,613±$9kLowest 11% below ME |
$95,236±$8kHighest 27% above ME |
| Gray and Winthrop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $294,800±$41k about the ME average |
$245,300±$21kLowest 17% below ME |
$363,700±$20kHighest 23% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $892±$319Lowest 22% below ME |
$1,086±$54 5% below ME |
$1,371±$89Highest 20% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,506 15% above ME |
$3,374Lowest 11% above ME |
$3,683Highest 21% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 50.8%±22.4Lowest 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 | 12.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
12.5% ME: 10.7% |
3.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 92.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.4% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1977 same as ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 35 minHighest 41% above ME |
17 minLowest 31% below ME |
29 min 16% above ME |
| Work from home | 23.1%±6.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #12 of 133 in ME | #32 of 133 in ME | #10 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Winthrop Public Schools | Brewer Public Schools | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences |
| High school in town | Winthrop High School | Brewer High School | Gray-New Gloucester High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.7Lowest |
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.