Compare towns
Cornish vs Mapleton vs Jay vs Baldwin
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Cornish has the oldest housing (typical home built 1958).
Mapleton has the highest household income ($92k).
Jay has the shortest commute (21 min average).
Baldwin has the oldest population (median age 50.6).
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 | Cornish | Mapleton | Jay | Baldwin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,024Lowest |
1,884 |
4,657Highest |
1,170 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | -3.2% ME: +2.6% |
-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
-0.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 39.2±13.3Lowest 13% below ME |
41.8±6 7% below ME |
39.5±5.1 12% below ME |
50.6±4.6Highest 13% above ME |
| Baldwin and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 10.5%±5.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
22.2%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
17.5%±5.4 ME: 18.1% |
12.1%±3 ME: 18.1% |
| Mapleton and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 15.2%±6.8Lowest ME: 22.4% |
18.3%±3.1 ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4.7 ME: 22.4% |
27.7%±3.5Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
34.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
29.7% ME: 36.2% |
23.7% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±3.2 ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Baldwin and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $68,686±$2k 8% below ME |
$91,731±$25kHighest 23% above ME |
$70,238±$19k 6% below ME |
$68,045±$8kLowest 9% below ME |
| Mapleton and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | — | $191,800±$23k 35% below ME |
$168,600±$27kLowest 43% below ME |
$263,200±$38kHighest 11% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,135±$141Highest about the ME average |
$610±$277Lowest 46% below ME |
$759±$141 33% below ME |
— |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,925 37% below ME |
$1,789Lowest 41% below ME |
$2,245 26% below ME |
$2,540Highest 16% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 31%±22.9Highest ME: 48.4% |
16.7%±10.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
27.2%±28.8 ME: 48.4% |
16.7%±42.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Cornish and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 8.3% ME: 10.7% |
8.9% ME: 10.7% |
9.8%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 79.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
79.9% ME: 74.3% |
82.7% ME: 74.3% |
89%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1958Lowest 19 yrs older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
1979 2 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 32 min 29% above ME |
28 min 13% above ME |
21 minLowest 13% below ME |
32 minHighest 32% above ME |
| Work from home | 7.4%±3.7 ME: 15.9% |
10.8%±3.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
4.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.8 ME: 15.9% |
| Mapleton and Baldwin 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 | — | — | #86 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | — | RSU 79/MSAD 01 | RSU 73 | — |
| High school in town | — | None in town | Spruce Mountain High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 12.7 |
— |
| 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.