Compare towns
Wells vs Cornish
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Wells has grown the fastest since 2010 (+18%).
Cornish has the most affordable homes ($274k median).
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 | Wells | Cornish |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 11,713Highest |
1,803Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +18%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+7.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 53.6±3.8Highest 20% above ME |
39±8.5Lowest 13% below ME |
| Kids under 18 | 18%±3.4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
18.2%±3.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Cornish and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Age 65+ | 31%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
17.4%±4.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 43.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
21%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.8%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Wells and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $88,024±$11kHighest 18% above ME |
$69,038±$4kLowest 8% below ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $485,300±$23kHighest 64% above ME |
$274,200±$84kLowest 8% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,350±$297Highest 19% above ME |
$1,196±$148Lowest 5% above ME |
| Wells and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,215Highest 6% above ME |
$2,309Lowest 24% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 42.1%±19.6Lowest ME: 48.4% |
48.8%±17.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Cornish and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 6.8%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 90.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1989Highest 12 yrs newer than ME |
1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 28 minLowest 12% above ME |
31 minHighest 27% above ME |
| Work from home | 17.8%±4.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
8.5%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #22 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Wells-Ogunquit CSD | — |
| High school in town | Wells High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.4 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.