Compare towns
Cornish vs Madison vs Unity
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 expensive homes ($274k median).
Madison has the oldest population (median age 49.6).
Unity has the youngest population (median age 27.5).
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 | Madison | Unity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,803Lowest |
4,782Highest |
1,858 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.5% ME: +2.6% |
-2.7%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+9.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 39±8.5 13% below ME |
49.6±3.4Highest 11% above ME |
27.5±2.2Lowest 39% below ME |
| Madison and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 18.2%±3.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.9%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
14%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Cornish and Madison 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% |
25.1%±5.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
11.8%±3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Madison 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% |
21.4% ME: 36.2% |
22.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.8%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.1%±2.8 ME: 5.8% |
30%±4.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $69,038±$4kHighest 8% below ME |
$61,747±$11kLowest 17% below ME |
$62,857±$6k 16% below ME |
| Cornish and Unity 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 |
$187,600±$40kLowest 37% below ME |
$206,900±$28k 30% below ME |
| Cornish and Unity 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 |
$906±$247 20% below ME |
$873±$73Lowest 23% below ME |
| Cornish and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,309 24% below ME |
$1,983Lowest 35% below ME |
$2,510Highest 17% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.8%±17.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
30.9%±11.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
44.8%±13 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%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
15% ME: 10.7% |
17.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
54.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
72.3% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976 1 yr older than ME |
1964Lowest 13 yrs older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 27% above ME |
27 min 9% above ME |
21 minLowest 14% below ME |
| Work from home | 8.5%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
19.3%±10.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
15.8%±7.6 ME: 15.9% |
| Madison and Unity are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | — | RSU 59/MSAD 59 | RSU 03/MSAD 03 · Ecology Learning Center |
| High school in town | — | Madison Jr/Sr High School | Ecology Learning Ctr |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 10.0Lowest |
12.4Highest |
| 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.