Compare towns
Cornish vs Jefferson vs Unity 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 1976).
Jefferson has the most kids (28% under 18).
Unity has the most people working from home (15.8%).
Baldwin has the oldest population (median age 50.6).
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 | Jefferson | Unity | Baldwin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,803 |
2,647Highest |
1,858 |
1,170Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.5% ME: +2.6% |
+5.1% ME: +2.6% |
+9.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-0.3%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 39±8.5 13% below ME |
38.1±4.9 15% below ME |
27.5±2.2Lowest 39% below ME |
50.6±4.6Highest 13% above ME |
| Baldwin and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 18.2%±3.3 ME: 18.1% |
28%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
14%±3.6 ME: 18.1% |
12.1%±3Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Age 65+ | 17.4%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
18.7%±3.5 ME: 22.4% |
11.8%±3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
27.7%±3.5Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 21%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
27.6%Highest ME: 36.2% |
22.1% ME: 36.2% |
23.7% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.8%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.6%±2.5 ME: 5.8% |
30%±4.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2.2 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $69,038±$4k 8% below ME |
$85,078±$17kHighest 14% above ME |
$62,857±$6kLowest 16% below ME |
$68,045±$8k 9% 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±$84k 8% below ME |
$311,600±$35kHighest 5% above ME |
$206,900±$28kLowest 30% below ME |
$263,200±$38k 11% below ME |
| Jefferson and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,196±$148Highest 5% above ME |
$1,120±$130 about the ME average |
$873±$73Lowest 23% below ME |
— |
| Cornish and Jefferson 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 |
$2,587Highest 15% below ME |
$2,510 17% below ME |
$2,540 16% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.8%±17.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
29.8%±25.1 ME: 48.4% |
44.8%±13 ME: 48.4% |
16.7%±42.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Cornish and Unity 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% |
17.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.1% ME: 74.3% |
83.8% ME: 74.3% |
72.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
89%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1979 2 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 31 min 27% above ME |
30 min 23% above ME |
21 minLowest 14% below ME |
32 minHighest 32% above ME |
| Work from home | 8.5%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
8.9%±3.6 ME: 15.9% |
15.8%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.8 ME: 15.9% |
| Unity 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 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 | 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.