Compare towns
Farmington vs Orono
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Farmington has the most people working from home (20%).
Orono has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.9%).
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 | Farmington | Orono |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 8,157Lowest |
11,902Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 38.2±3.3Highest 15% below ME |
21.8±0.3Lowest 51% below ME |
| Kids under 18 | 10.6%±2.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
6.8%±1.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Farmington and Orono are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Age 65+ | 20.7%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
11.4%±1.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 38.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
66.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 20.6%±3.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
56.1%±3.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $54,276±$7kLowest 27% below ME |
$61,528±$5kHighest 18% below ME |
| Orono and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $166,600±$18kLowest 44% below ME |
$272,600±$40kHighest 8% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $902±$106Lowest 21% below ME |
$1,255±$112Highest 10% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,958Lowest 36% below ME |
$4,830Highest 59% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 44.2%±12.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
58.1%±10.6Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Orono and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 15.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
24.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 55.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
46.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975Lowest 2 yrs older than ME |
1977Highest same as ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 27 minHighest 9% above ME |
15 minLowest 38% below ME |
| Work from home | 20%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
11.3%±3.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Farmington and Orono 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 | #64 of 133 in ME | #26 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 09 | RSU 26 |
| High school in town | Mt Blue High School | Orono High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.2Highest |
10.7Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | ||
| Old photos in History | 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.