Compare towns
Brownfield vs Cornish vs Orono
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Brownfield has the most kids (26.7% under 18).
Cornish has the highest household income ($69k).
Orono has the shortest commute (15 min average).
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 | Brownfield | Cornish | Orono |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,830 |
1,803Lowest |
11,902Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2.1%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.5% ME: +2.6% |
+7.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 39.9±6.8Highest 11% below ME |
39±8.5 13% below ME |
21.8±0.3Lowest 51% below ME |
| Brownfield and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 26.7%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
18.2%±3.3 ME: 18.1% |
6.8%±1.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Brownfield and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.5%±1.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
17.4%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
11.4%±1.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Brownfield and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 25.3% ME: 36.2% |
21%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
66.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 0.7%±0.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
2.8%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
56.1%±3.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $60,889±$5kLowest 19% below ME |
$69,038±$4kHighest 8% below ME |
$61,528±$5k 18% below ME |
| Cornish and Orono are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $287,500±$36kHighest 3% below ME |
$274,200±$84k 8% below ME |
$272,600±$40kLowest 8% below ME |
| Brownfield and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,617±$554Highest 42% above ME |
$1,196±$148Lowest 5% above ME |
$1,255±$112 10% above ME |
| Brownfield and Orono are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,976 about the ME average |
$2,309Lowest 24% below ME |
$4,830Highest 59% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 61.8%±43.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
48.8%±17.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
58.1%±10.6 ME: 48.4% |
| Brownfield and Orono are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 8.1% ME: 10.7% |
6.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
24.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 87.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.1% ME: 74.3% |
46.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME |
1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 44 minHighest 80% above ME |
31 min 27% above ME |
15 minLowest 38% below ME |
| Work from home | 9.5%±4.5 ME: 15.9% |
8.5%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.3%±3.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Orono and Brownfield 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 72/MSAD 72 | — | RSU 26 |
| High school 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.