Compare towns
Cornish vs Orono 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 the highest household income ($69k).
Orono has the shortest commute (15 min average).
Brownfield has the most kids (26.7% under 18).
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 | Orono | Brownfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,803Lowest |
11,902Highest |
1,830 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.5% ME: +2.6% |
+7.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2.1%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 39±8.5 13% below ME |
21.8±0.3Lowest 51% 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%±3.3 ME: 18.1% |
6.8%±1.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
26.7%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Brownfield 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% |
11.4%±1.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
18.5%±1.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Brownfield 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% |
66.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
25.3% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.8%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
56.1%±3.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
0.7%±0.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $69,038±$4kHighest 8% below ME |
$61,528±$5k 18% below ME |
$60,889±$5kLowest 19% below ME |
| Cornish and Orono 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 |
$272,600±$40kLowest 8% below ME |
$287,500±$36kHighest 3% below ME |
| Brownfield and Cornish 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 |
$1,255±$112 10% above ME |
$1,617±$554Highest 42% above ME |
| Brownfield 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 |
$4,830Highest 59% above ME |
$2,976 about the ME average |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.8%±17.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
58.1%±10.6 ME: 48.4% |
61.8%±43.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Brownfield and Orono 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% |
24.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
8.1% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.1% ME: 74.3% |
46.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
87.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 min 27% above ME |
15 minLowest 38% below ME |
44 minHighest 80% above ME |
| Work from home | 8.5%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.3%±3.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
9.5%±4.5 ME: 15.9% |
| Orono and Brownfield 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 | — | #26 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | — | RSU 26 | RSU 72/MSAD 72 |
| High school in town | — | Orono High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 10.7 |
— |
| 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.