Compare towns
Cornish vs Unity vs Waterville
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).
Unity has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).
Waterville has the most renters (51.2% rent).
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 | Unity | Waterville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,803Lowest |
1,858 |
17,077Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.5% ME: +2.6% |
+9.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+0.7%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 39±8.5Highest 13% below ME |
27.5±2.2Lowest 39% below ME |
35.5±2.5 21% below ME |
| Cornish and Waterville 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%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1% |
14.4%±2.4 ME: 18.1% |
| Cornish and Waterville 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% |
11.8%±3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
18.3%±2.5Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Waterville 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% |
22.1% ME: 36.2% |
30.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.8%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
30%±4.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
18.1%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $69,038±$4kHighest 8% below ME |
$62,857±$6k 16% below ME |
$53,580±$4kLowest 28% 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 |
$206,900±$28k 30% below ME |
$184,600±$21kLowest 38% 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 |
$873±$73Lowest 23% below ME |
$978±$72 14% below ME |
| Cornish and Waterville 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 |
$2,510 17% below ME |
$2,755Highest 9% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.8%±17.5 ME: 48.4% |
44.8%±13Lowest ME: 48.4% |
50.5%±8.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Waterville 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% |
17.3% ME: 10.7% |
20.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
72.3% ME: 74.3% |
48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976 1 yr older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 27% above ME |
21 min 14% below ME |
18 minLowest 27% below ME |
| Work from home | 8.5%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
15.8%±7.6 ME: 15.9% |
16.6%±5.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Waterville and Unity 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 | — | — | #105 of 133 in ME |
| School district | — | RSU 03/MSAD 03 · Ecology Learning Center | Waterville Public Schools |
| High school in town | — | Ecology Learning Ctr | Waterville Senior High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.4Lowest |
12.8Highest |
| 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.