Compare towns
Bridgewater vs Cornish vs Unity vs Ripley
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bridgewater has the most homeowners (84.7%).
Cornish has the most expensive homes ($274k median).
Unity has the most people working from home (15.8%).
Ripley has the most affordable homes ($144k median).
Unity is a college town. 30% 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 | Bridgewater | Cornish | Unity | Ripley |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 484 |
1,803 |
1,858Highest |
436Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -12.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.5% ME: +2.6% |
+9.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 48.8±8Highest 9% above ME |
39±8.5 13% below ME |
27.5±2.2Lowest 39% below ME |
47.7±5.3 6% above ME |
| Bridgewater and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 17.1%±5.7 ME: 18.1% |
18.2%±3.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
14%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1% |
16.3%±6.5 ME: 18.1% |
| Cornish and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 27.5%±2.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
17.4%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
11.8%±3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
17.7%±4.6 ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 18.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
21% ME: 36.2% |
22.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
19.4% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.9%±2.2 ME: 5.8% |
2.8%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
30%±4.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±6 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $65,417±$15k 12% below ME |
$69,038±$4kHighest 8% below ME |
$62,857±$6kLowest 16% below ME |
$64,821±$13k 13% below ME |
| Cornish and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $154,900±$78k 48% below ME |
$274,200±$84kHighest 8% below ME |
$206,900±$28k 30% below ME |
$144,300±$33kLowest 51% below ME |
| Cornish and Unity are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $768±$116Lowest 33% below ME |
$1,196±$148Highest 5% above ME |
$873±$73 23% below ME |
$1,091±$281 4% below ME |
| Cornish and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,417 53% below ME |
$2,309 24% below ME |
$2,510Highest 17% below ME |
$1,270Lowest 58% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 38.9%±59.5 ME: 48.4% |
48.8%±17.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
44.8%±13 ME: 48.4% |
11.5%±73.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Cornish and Unity are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 12% ME: 10.7% |
6.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
17.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
11.9% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.1% ME: 74.3% |
72.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
81% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1976 1 yr older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1978 1 yr newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 22 min 10% below ME |
31 min 27% above ME |
21 minLowest 14% below ME |
32 minHighest 28% above ME |
| Work from home | 7.5%±5.1 ME: 15.9% |
8.5%±2.4 ME: 15.9% |
15.8%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.5%±6.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Unity and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| School district | — | — | RSU 03/MSAD 03 · Ecology Learning Center | — |
| High school in town | — | — | Ecology Learning Ctr | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 12.4 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.