Compare towns
Unity vs Presque Isle vs Cornish
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Unity has the most people working from home (15.8%).
Presque Isle has the shortest commute (14 min average).
Cornish has the most expensive homes ($274k median).
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 | Unity | Presque Isle | Cornish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,858 |
8,736Highest |
1,803Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +9.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-9.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.5% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 27.5±2.2Lowest 39% below ME |
44.1±3.5Highest about the ME average |
39±8.5 13% below ME |
| Presque Isle and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1% |
18%±3 ME: 18.1% |
18.2%±3.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Cornish and Presque Isle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 11.8%±3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.6%±3.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
17.4%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
| Presque Isle and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 22.1% ME: 36.2% |
26.2%Highest ME: 36.2% |
21%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 30%±4.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
6.5%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
2.8%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $62,857±$6k 16% below ME |
$55,768±$6kLowest 25% below ME |
$69,038±$4kHighest 8% 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 | $206,900±$28k 30% below ME |
$147,200±$11kLowest 50% below ME |
$274,200±$84kHighest 8% 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 | $873±$73Lowest 23% below ME |
$904±$54 21% below ME |
$1,196±$148Highest 5% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,510Highest 17% below ME |
$2,401 21% below ME |
$2,309Lowest 24% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 44.8%±13Lowest ME: 48.4% |
47.3%±9.7 ME: 48.4% |
48.8%±17.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Cornish and Presque Isle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 17.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
15.5% ME: 10.7% |
6.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 72.3% ME: 74.3% |
57.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1976 1 yr older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 21 min 14% below ME |
14 minLowest 41% below ME |
31 minHighest 27% above ME |
| Work from home | 15.8%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.7%±3.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
8.5%±2.4 ME: 15.9% |
| Unity 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 | — | #62 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | RSU 03/MSAD 03 · Ecology Learning Center | RSU 79/MSAD 01 | — |
| High school in town | Ecology Learning Ctr | Presque Isle High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.4Lowest |
13.7Highest |
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| 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.