Brewster is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 10,381 people and two associated neighborhoods, Brewster is the 180th largest community in Massachusetts.
Housing costs in Brewster are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Massachusetts.
Of important note, Brewster is also a town of artists. Brewster has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Brewster’s character.
Also of interest is that Brewster has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 15.13% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
Another notable thing is that Brewster is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Brewster’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.
Because of many things, Brewster is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making Brewster a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, Brewster has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, Brewster’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.
The town is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, Brewster has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes Brewster a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.
One of the nice things about Brewster is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.
Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Brewster. 52.40% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.
The per capita income in Brewster in 2022 was $70,414, which is upper middle income relative to Massachusetts, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $281,656 for a family of four. However, Brewster contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
The people who call Brewster home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Brewster residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Brewster include Irish, English, German, Italian, and Polish.
The most common language spoken in Brewster is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Spanish.