Compare towns
Cornish vs Mapleton vs Unity vs Hiram
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).
Unity has the most people working from home (15.8%).
Hiram has the most homeowners (83.8%).
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 | Cornish | Mapleton | Unity | Hiram |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,024Lowest |
1,884Highest |
1,858 |
1,748 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | -3.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+9.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-0.7% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 39.2±13.3 13% below ME |
41.8±6Highest 7% below ME |
27.5±2.2Lowest 39% below ME |
41.6±10.2 7% below ME |
| Mapleton and Hiram 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% |
14%±3.6 ME: 18.1% |
20.9%±3.9 ME: 18.1% |
| Mapleton and Hiram are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 15.2%±6.8 ME: 22.4% |
18.3%±3.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
11.8%±3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
15.7%±2.4 ME: 22.4% |
| Mapleton and Hiram are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
34.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
22.1% ME: 36.2% |
25% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
30%±4.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.6%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $68,686±$2k 8% below ME |
$91,731±$25kHighest 23% above ME |
$62,857±$6k 16% below ME |
$62,813±$10kLowest 16% below ME |
| Mapleton and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | — | $191,800±$23kLowest 35% below ME |
$206,900±$28k 30% below ME |
$256,600±$42kHighest 13% below ME |
| Hiram and Unity are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,135±$141Highest about the ME average |
$610±$277Lowest 46% below ME |
$873±$73 23% below ME |
$1,070±$161 6% below ME |
| Cornish and Hiram are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,925 37% below ME |
$1,789Lowest 41% below ME |
$2,510Highest 17% below ME |
$2,106 31% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 31%±22.9 ME: 48.4% |
16.7%±10.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
44.8%±13 ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±24.1Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Hiram and Unity are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 8.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
8.9% ME: 10.7% |
17.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
12.6% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 79.2% ME: 74.3% |
79.9% ME: 74.3% |
72.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
83.8%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1958Lowest 19 yrs older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1976 1 yr older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 32 minHighest 29% above ME |
28 min 13% above ME |
21 minLowest 14% below ME |
31 min 28% above ME |
| Work from home | 7.4%±3.7Lowest ME: 15.9% |
10.8%±3.8 ME: 15.9% |
15.8%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
8.6%±3.4 ME: 15.9% |
| Unity and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| School district | — | RSU 79/MSAD 01 | RSU 03/MSAD 03 · Ecology Learning Center | RSU 55/MSAD 55 |
| High school in town | — | None in town | Ecology Learning Ctr | Sacopee Valley High Sch |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 12.4Highest |
9.9Lowest |
| 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.