Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Brewer run?
Brewer’s city government spent $44.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $4,616 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Brewer is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Brewer
Brewer’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Brewer, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $17,512 per pupil, $11,425 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Maine districts overall: 52% local, 40% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $4,616 per resident a year, or $12.65 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 62% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Brewer runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with U.S. cities of 2,500–9,999 that run their own schools.
$4,142 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Brewer’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($4,142 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 26 U.S. cities of 2,500–9,999 that run their own schools: the median was $4,444, and the middle half spent $3,225–$5,643. Brewer spent less than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.6 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
U.S. cities of 2,500–9,999 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Brewer itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 20% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Brewer reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $4,142 · 2023: $4,183 · 2024: $4,616. Per resident it went from $4,142 to $4,616 (up 11%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 8,948 to 9,666.
full-time in March 2025, up from 344 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,374 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.38% of the home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Brewer’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Brewer’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Brewer →
Who’s in charge in Brewer
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Brewer’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on brewerme.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 27 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (9,666).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
How Brewer voted in 2024
Official results for Brewer’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican49.5%2,615 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat48.3%2,550 votesOthers: 2.2% (117 votes).
Most votes in Brewer: Donald J Trump
Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%
of Brewer’s 7,620 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Maine: 75%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Brewer: Angus S King Jr
Maine: Jr 52.1%, Kouzounas 34.6%
President, 2024: Brewer, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brewer | 49.5% | 48.3% | 2.2% | 5,282 |
| Maine | 45.5% | 52.4% | 2.1% | 831,375 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Brewer.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: brewerme.org ↗
- 2Maine HouseBrewer is split between 2 districts
- 3Maine SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Maine
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Brewer compares with the towns next door
Brewer spent $4,142 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $578 to $4,134. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Brewer’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Brewer’s government
How much does Brewer spend per resident?
About $4,616 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $4,142 was less than 58% of 26 U.S. cities of 2,500–9,999 that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Brewer?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,374 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.38% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see brewerme.org.
Who runs Brewer’s government?
See brewerme.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Brewer yet.
How did Brewer vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 49.5%, Kamala D Harris 48.3% (5,282 votes, official results). . Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%.
How many people work for Brewer?
352 full-time and 104 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.1M (about $25.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Brewer in the state legislature?
Brewer is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Maine Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 10 (David Haggan). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Brewer’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →