Compare towns
Cornish vs Jefferson vs Brownfield
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Cornish has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.5%).
Jefferson has the highest household income ($85k).
Brownfield has the most people working from home (9.5%).
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 | Jefferson | Brownfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,803Lowest |
2,647Highest |
1,830 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+5.1% ME: +2.6% |
+2.1%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 39±8.5 13% below ME |
38.1±4.9Lowest 15% below ME |
39.9±6.8Highest 11% 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 | 18.2%±3.3Lowest ME: 18.1% |
28%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
26.7%±5.7 ME: 18.1% |
| Jefferson and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 17.4%±4.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
18.7%±3.5Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.5%±1.3 ME: 22.4% |
| Jefferson and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 21%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
27.6%Highest ME: 36.2% |
25.3% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.8%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
4.6%±2.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
0.7%±0.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Jefferson and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $69,038±$4k 8% below ME |
$85,078±$17kHighest 14% above ME |
$60,889±$5kLowest 19% below ME |
| Jefferson and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $274,200±$84kLowest 8% below ME |
$311,600±$35kHighest 5% above ME |
$287,500±$36k 3% below ME |
| Jefferson and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,196±$148 5% above ME |
$1,120±$130Lowest about the ME average |
$1,617±$554Highest 42% above ME |
| Brownfield and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,309Lowest 24% below ME |
$2,587 15% below ME |
$2,976Highest about the ME average |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.8%±17.5 ME: 48.4% |
29.8%±25.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
61.8%±43.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Brownfield and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.3% ME: 10.7% |
3.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
8.1%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
83.8% ME: 74.3% |
87.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME |
1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 min 27% above ME |
30 minLowest 23% above ME |
44 minHighest 80% above ME |
| Work from home | 8.5%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
8.9%±3.6 ME: 15.9% |
9.5%±4.5Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Brownfield and Jefferson 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 | — | #45 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | — | Jefferson Public Schools | RSU 72/MSAD 72 |
| High school in town | — | None in town | None in town |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.

