Compare towns
Cornish vs Levant vs Orono
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 most homeowners (82.1%).
Levant has the highest household income ($86k).
Orono has the shortest commute (15 min average).
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 | Cornish | Levant | Orono |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,803Lowest |
3,069 |
11,902Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.5% ME: +2.6% |
+3.1%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 39±8.5 13% below ME |
39.7±2.2Highest 11% below ME |
21.8±0.3Lowest 51% below ME |
| Levant 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% |
19.8%±4.8Highest ME: 18.1% |
6.8%±1.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Levant and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 17.4%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
18.1%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
11.4%±1.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Levant and Cornish 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% |
21.6% ME: 36.2% |
66.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.8%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
2.2%±2.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
56.1%±3.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $69,038±$4k 8% below ME |
$86,071±$22kHighest 15% above ME |
$61,528±$5kLowest 18% below ME |
| Levant 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±$84kHighest 8% below ME |
$268,500±$27kLowest 9% below ME |
$272,600±$40k 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 | $1,196±$148Lowest 5% above ME |
$1,370±$120Highest 20% above ME |
$1,255±$112 10% above ME |
| Levant and Orono 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 |
$2,580 15% below ME |
$4,830Highest 59% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.8%±17.5 ME: 48.4% |
45.7%±14Lowest ME: 48.4% |
58.1%±10.6Highest 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 | 6.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
9% ME: 10.7% |
24.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
81.4% ME: 74.3% |
46.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
1995Highest 18 yrs newer than ME |
1977 same as ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 min 27% above ME |
31 minHighest 27% above ME |
15 minLowest 38% below ME |
| Work from home | 8.5%±2.4 ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±5.6Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.3%±3.2Highest 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 | — | #124 of 133 in ME | #26 of 133 in ME |
| School district | — | RSU 87/MSAD 23 | RSU 26 |
| High school in town | — | None 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.