City profile · Maine · Census ACS 2023

Brewer, ME

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Brewer — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

9,654
Residents
$51,490
Median income
$218,100
Median home
$1,448
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Brewer, ME

Brewer is a city in Maine with a population of 9,654 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $51,490 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 9.1%. Typical homes in Brewer are valued around $218,100, and the median resident age is 40.6 years. About 30.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 57.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 0 residential units were authorized in 2024 (No Permits). FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1836.3 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Maine registers 97.1 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,448 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $273 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 56.7 out of 100 (Moderate).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

9,654 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Maine

Median Household Income

$51,490 /yr

Poverty 9.1%

Cost of Living Index

97.1 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Brewer compare to other US cities?

Where Brewer sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 22% higher than other cities
Home value 48% pricier than other cities
Median rent 69% pricier than other cities
Safety 36% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Brewer against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Brewer, ME Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Brewer, ME. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Brewer, ME — median $51,490/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Brewer, ME — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 30.5%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 9.1%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 57.1%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
9,654
Median Income
$51,490
Median Home Value
$218,100
Median Age
40.6
Poverty Rate
9.1%
Labor force participation
57.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
30.5%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
1836.3
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
41.5
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
1794.8
per 1,000 residents

Schools

Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

Total Permits (2024)
0
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 0
2020 0
2021 0
2022 0
2023 0
2024 0

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
81.3%
Carpool
9.9%
Public Transit
0.2%
Walk
1.6%
Work from Home
6.3%
Other
0.7%

Based on 4,538 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Maine — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$130
avg/month
Natural Gas
$95
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$48
avg/month
Total Utilities
$273
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Maine state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Maine state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
97.1
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,448/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
56.7 / 100
Moderate
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Brewer, ME Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Brewer, ME — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Brewer compares to nearby Maine cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Brewer) plus the nearest peer cities in Maine, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

ME

Brewer

51.49% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$51,490
Brackets
10
Selected

ME

Old Orchard Beach

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$920
Brackets
9
Selected

ME

Bath

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$880
Brackets
9
Selected

ME

Presque Isle

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$870
Brackets
9
Census ACS 5-year FIPS ME FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Brewer, ME?

What is the population of Brewer, ME? +

Brewer, ME has a population of 9,654 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Brewer, ME? +

The median household income in Brewer is $51,490 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Brewer? +

Brewer has a cost of living index of 97.1 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Brewer, ME safe? +

Brewer has a total crime rate of 1836.3 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Brewer, ME? +

The median home value in Brewer is $218,100, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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