Compare towns
Mapleton vs Orono vs Liberty
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Mapleton has the highest household income ($92k).
Orono has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.9%).
Liberty has the most people working from home (14.4%).
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 | Mapleton | Orono | Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,884 |
11,902Highest |
969Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2.3% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 41.8±6Highest 7% below ME |
21.8±0.3Lowest 51% below ME |
40.5±6.8 10% below ME |
| Mapleton and Liberty are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 22.2%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
6.8%±1.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
19.4%±4.6 ME: 18.1% |
| Mapleton and Liberty are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.3%±3.1 ME: 22.4% |
11.4%±1.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
21.8%±2.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Liberty and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34.3%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
66.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
43.4% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
56.1%±3.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
0.4%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $91,731±$25kHighest 23% above ME |
$61,528±$5kLowest 18% below ME |
$71,146±$15k 5% below ME |
| Mapleton and Liberty are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $191,800±$23kLowest 35% below ME |
$272,600±$40kHighest 8% below ME |
$229,600±$31k 23% below ME |
| Orono and Liberty are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $610±$277 46% below ME |
$1,255±$112Highest 10% above ME |
$559±$193Lowest 51% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,789Lowest 41% below ME |
$4,830Highest 59% above ME |
$2,434 20% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 16.7%±10.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
58.1%±10.6Highest ME: 48.4% |
38.5%±42.4 ME: 48.4% |
| Orono and Liberty are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 8.9%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
24.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
14.8% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 79.9% ME: 74.3% |
46.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
84.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1977Lowest same as ME |
1977Lowest same as ME |
1981Highest 4 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 min 13% above ME |
15 minLowest 38% below ME |
38 minHighest 56% above ME |
| Work from home | 10.8%±3.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.3%±3.2 ME: 15.9% |
14.4%±8.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Liberty 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 | — | #26 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | RSU 79/MSAD 01 | RSU 26 | RSU 03/MSAD 03 |
| High school in town | None 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.