Compare towns
Cornish vs Thorndike vs Unity vs Parsonsfield
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).
Thorndike has the most people working from home (44.7%).
Unity has the shortest commute (21 min average).
Parsonsfield has the oldest population (median age 44.3).
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 | Thorndike | Unity | Parsonsfield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,803 |
1,403Lowest |
1,858Highest |
1,715 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.5% ME: +2.6% |
-13%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+9.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-5.6% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 39±8.5 13% below ME |
19.3±23.6Lowest 57% below ME |
27.5±2.2 39% below ME |
44.3±5.9Highest about the ME average |
| Parsonsfield 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% |
49.8%±28.4Highest ME: 18.1% |
14%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1% |
25%±5.7 ME: 18.1% |
| Thorndike and Parsonsfield 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% |
11.7%±6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
11.8%±3 ME: 22.4% |
18%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Parsonsfield 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% |
25.2%Highest ME: 36.2% |
22.1% ME: 36.2% |
21.8% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.8%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
1.5%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
30%±4.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.1%±0.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $69,038±$4k 8% below ME |
$78,438±$14kHighest 5% above ME |
$62,857±$6kLowest 16% below ME |
$72,045±$18k 4% below ME |
| Thorndike and Parsonsfield 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 |
$205,600±$88kLowest 31% below ME |
$206,900±$28k 30% below ME |
$272,100±$21k 8% below ME |
| Cornish and Parsonsfield 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 |
$836±$317Lowest 27% below ME |
$873±$73 23% below ME |
$1,185±$312 4% above ME |
| Cornish and Parsonsfield 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 |
$2,537Highest 16% below ME |
$2,510 17% below ME |
$2,350 23% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.8%±17.5 ME: 48.4% |
36%±62.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
44.8%±13 ME: 48.4% |
78.2%±35Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Parsonsfield 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% |
6.5% ME: 10.7% |
17.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
12% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.1% ME: 74.3% |
87.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
72.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
86.4% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
1984Highest 7 yrs newer than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1977 same as ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 31 min 27% above ME |
36 min 46% above ME |
21 minLowest 14% below ME |
48 minHighest 97% above ME |
| Work from home | 8.5%±2.4 ME: 15.9% |
44.7%±35.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
15.8%±7.6 ME: 15.9% |
5.1%±4.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Thorndike 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 | RSU 03/MSAD 03 · Ecology Learning Center | — |
| High school in town | — | Mt View High School | Ecology Learning Ctr | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 11.7Lowest |
12.4Highest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet | 2 photos → |
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.