Compare towns
Cornish vs Orono vs Levant
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%).
Orono has the shortest commute (15 min average).
Levant has the highest household income ($86k).
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 | Levant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,803Lowest |
11,902Highest |
3,069 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.5% ME: +2.6% |
+7.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+3.1%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 39±8.5 13% below ME |
21.8±0.3Lowest 51% below ME |
39.7±2.2Highest 11% 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% |
6.8%±1.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
19.8%±4.8Highest 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% |
11.4%±1.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
18.1%±4.9Highest 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% |
66.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
21.6% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.8%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
56.1%±3.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.2%±2.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $69,038±$4k 8% below ME |
$61,528±$5kLowest 18% below ME |
$86,071±$22kHighest 15% above 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 |
$272,600±$40k 8% below ME |
$268,500±$27kLowest 9% 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 |
$1,255±$112 10% above ME |
$1,370±$120Highest 20% 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 |
$4,830Highest 59% above ME |
$2,580 15% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.8%±17.5 ME: 48.4% |
58.1%±10.6Highest ME: 48.4% |
45.7%±14Lowest 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% |
24.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
46.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
81.4% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1995Highest 18 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 min 27% above ME |
15 minLowest 38% below ME |
31 minHighest 27% above ME |
| Work from home | 8.5%±2.4 ME: 15.9% |
11.3%±3.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±5.6Lowest 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 | — | #26 of 133 in ME | #124 of 133 in ME |
| School district | — | RSU 26 | RSU 87/MSAD 23 |
| High school in town | — | Orono High School | None in town |
| 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.