Compare towns
Carmel vs Cornish vs Unity
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Carmel has the highest household income ($82k).
Cornish has the most expensive homes ($274k median).
Unity has the most people working from home (15.8%).
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 | Carmel | Cornish | Unity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 2,941Highest |
1,803Lowest |
1,858 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2.6%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.5% ME: +2.6% |
+9.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.4±4.5Highest 4% above ME |
39±8.5 13% below ME |
27.5±2.2Lowest 39% below ME |
| Carmel and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 18.6%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
18.2%±3.3 ME: 18.1% |
14%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Carmel and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 16.5%±5 ME: 22.4% |
17.4%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
11.8%±3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Cornish and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 17.2%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
21% ME: 36.2% |
22.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.9%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
2.8%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
30%±4.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $82,188±$22kHighest 10% above ME |
$69,038±$4k 8% below ME |
$62,857±$6kLowest 16% below ME |
| Carmel and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $256,800±$37k 13% below ME |
$274,200±$84kHighest 8% below ME |
$206,900±$28kLowest 30% below ME |
| Cornish and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,276±$187Highest 12% above ME |
$1,196±$148 5% above ME |
$873±$73Lowest 23% below ME |
| Carmel and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,662Highest 12% below ME |
$2,309Lowest 24% below ME |
$2,510 17% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 56.4%±38.1Highest ME: 48.4% |
48.8%±17.5 ME: 48.4% |
44.8%±13Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Carmel and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 13.6% ME: 10.7% |
6.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
17.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 87.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.1% ME: 74.3% |
72.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME |
1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 min about the ME average |
31 minHighest 27% above ME |
21 minLowest 14% below ME |
| Work from home | 6.5%±4.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
8.5%±2.4 ME: 15.9% |
15.8%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Unity and Cornish 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 | #77 of 133 in ME | — | — |
| School district | RSU 87/MSAD 23 | — | RSU 03/MSAD 03 · Ecology Learning Center |
| High school in town | None 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 |
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.