Compare towns
Chesterville vs Orono vs Cornish
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Chesterville has the most kids (31.3% under 18).
Orono has the most renters (53.4% rent).
Cornish has the highest household income ($69k).
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 | Chesterville | Orono | Cornish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,397Lowest |
11,902Highest |
1,803 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+7.5% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 37.8±4 16% below ME |
21.8±0.3Lowest 51% below ME |
39±8.5Highest 13% below ME |
| Cornish and Chesterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 31.3%±6.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
6.8%±1.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
18.2%±3.3 ME: 18.1% |
| Age 65+ | 15%±3 ME: 22.4% |
11.4%±1.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
17.4%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Cornish and Chesterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 20.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
66.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
21% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.3%±2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
56.1%±3.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.8%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $61,635±$10k 18% below ME |
$61,528±$5kLowest 18% below ME |
$69,038±$4kHighest 8% below ME |
| Cornish and Chesterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $214,000±$40kLowest 28% below ME |
$272,600±$40k 8% below ME |
$274,200±$84kHighest 8% below ME |
| Cornish and Orono are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,088±$73Lowest 4% below ME |
$1,255±$112Highest 10% above ME |
$1,196±$148 5% above ME |
| Orono and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,194Lowest 28% below ME |
$4,830Highest 59% above ME |
$2,309 24% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 21.8%±30.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
58.1%±10.6Highest ME: 48.4% |
48.8%±17.5 ME: 48.4% |
| Orono and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 12% ME: 10.7% |
24.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 86.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
46.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.1% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1978Highest 1 yr newer than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 min about the ME average |
15 minLowest 38% below ME |
31 minHighest 27% above ME |
| Work from home | 7.1%±3.7Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.3%±3.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
8.5%±2.4 ME: 15.9% |
| Orono 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 | — | #26 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | — | RSU 26 | — |
| High school 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.