Compare towns
Bradley vs Milbridge vs Orono
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bradley has the highest household income ($77k).
Milbridge has the most people working from home (18.9%).
Orono has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.9%).
Orono is a college town. 56.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.
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 | Bradley | Milbridge | Orono |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,645 |
1,222Lowest |
11,902Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2.7% ME: +2.6% |
+1.6%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 42.6±9.7 5% below ME |
50.3±6.2Highest 12% above ME |
21.8±0.3Lowest 51% below ME |
| Milbridge and Bradley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 21.9%±5.1 ME: 18.1% |
22.5%±4.9Highest ME: 18.1% |
6.8%±1.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Milbridge and Bradley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.5%±2.4 ME: 22.4% |
30.2%±5.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
11.4%±1.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 22.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
24.7% ME: 36.2% |
66.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.2%±2 ME: 5.8% |
1.2%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
56.1%±3.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $76,667±$28kHighest about the ME average |
$60,536±$16kLowest 19% below ME |
$61,528±$5k 18% below ME |
| Bradley and Orono are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $201,800±$37kLowest 32% below ME |
$240,400±$31k 19% below ME |
$272,600±$40kHighest 8% below ME |
| Orono and Milbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,088±$325 4% below ME |
$619±$186Lowest 46% below ME |
$1,255±$112Highest 10% above ME |
| Orono and Bradley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,946Lowest 36% below ME |
$2,022 33% below ME |
$4,830Highest 59% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 31.3%±22.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
45.8%±22.6 ME: 48.4% |
58.1%±10.6Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Orono and Milbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 4.6%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
18.4% ME: 10.7% |
24.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.6% ME: 74.3% |
85.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
46.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1984Highest 7 yrs newer than ME |
1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minHighest 7% below ME |
18 min 26% below ME |
15 minLowest 38% below ME |
| Work from home | 12.1%±7.9 ME: 15.9% |
18.9%±6.1Highest ME: 15.9% |
11.3%±3.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Milbridge and Bradley 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 | — | — | #26 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 34 | RSU 37/MSAD 37 | RSU 26 |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | Orono High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 10.7 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.