Compare towns
Cornish vs Mercer 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).
Mercer has the most people working from home (20.5%).
Unity has the shortest commute (21 min average).
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 | Mercer | Unity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,803 |
718Lowest |
1,858Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.5% ME: +2.6% |
+6.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+9.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 39±8.5 13% below ME |
43.4±4.5Highest 3% below ME |
27.5±2.2Lowest 39% below ME |
| Mercer 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% |
20.1%±6.4Highest ME: 18.1% |
14%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Mercer 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% |
25.9%±5.6Highest ME: 22.4% |
11.8%±3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Mercer 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% |
34.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
22.1% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.8%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
0.7%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
30%±4.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $69,038±$4k 8% below ME |
$71,107±$2kHighest 5% below ME |
$62,857±$6kLowest 16% below ME |
| Mercer 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 |
$238,500±$32k 20% below ME |
$206,900±$28kLowest 30% below ME |
| Cornish and Mercer 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 |
$1,422±$249Highest 25% above ME |
$873±$73Lowest 23% below ME |
| Mercer and Cornish 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 |
$1,970Lowest 35% below ME |
$2,510Highest 17% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.8%±17.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
18.5%±74Lowest 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% |
13.6% ME: 10.7% |
17.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.1% ME: 74.3% |
92.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
72.3%Lowest 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 |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 27% above ME |
30 min 23% above ME |
21 minLowest 14% below ME |
| Work from home | 8.5%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
20.5%±8.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
15.8%±7.6 ME: 15.9% |
| Mercer and Unity are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | — | — | RSU 03/MSAD 03 · Ecology Learning Center |
| High school 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 |
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.