Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Cornish’s subject grades are an A− for cost of living and history. Its National Register listings include Odd Fellows-Rebekah Hall and Caleb R. Ayer House. Cornish has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Cornish beats most towns.
Odd Fellows-Rebekah Hall
Census counts: 409 in 1790, a low of 409 in 1790, 1,508 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 3 maps from 1910 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Cornish is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cornish, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Cornish.
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Cornish rose by 104, to 498. Commuting out is the norm locally: 9% of working residents work locally. In Cornish, the mean commuting time is 31 minutes, above both Maine’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). The top destinations are Portland (11%), South Portland (5%) and Hiram (5%).
| Cornish | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.5% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.3% | 9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In July, afternoons reach 80°; in January, nights fall to 10°, and about 70 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The share of adults in Cornish who binge drink: 17%. Two figures for adults locally: 15% report frequent physical distress, 32% sleep under 7 hours.
| Cornish | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Cornish | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 60.7% | 63.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Households in Cornish have drawn federal disaster aid in 10 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 59% of U.S. communities. Two thirds of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 16%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Home values are up 3.5% over the year to September 2026. The share of households in Cornish who are owner-occupiers is 82%, near the Maine town median (81%) and above the median of U.S. towns (73%). For Cornish, the typical rent is $1,196 a month.
| Cornish | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,196 a month | $1,106 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The biggest park or preserve is The Heath, at 176 acres. In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 14 miles of trail. The trail network density in Cornish is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Cornish | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The Heath | 0.5 mi | 176 |
| 2. Saco River Access | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Cornish; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Cornish residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
Where Cornish’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Cornish on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Cornish.
5 towns share a border with Cornish.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornish | — | — | A− | — | B− | C+ |
| Hiram | — | — | C− | — | B− | C |
| Baldwin | — | — | B | — | B− | C+ |
| Parsonsfield | — | — | B+ | — | B− | C |
| Limington | #57 | B | B+ | — | C+ | B− |
| Limerick | #49 | B | C+ | — | B+ | B |
Cornish, Hiram, Baldwin and Parsonsfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Cornish, Hiram, Baldwin, Parsonsfield, Limington and Limerick report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Cornish with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
3 notable people were born here, including David Dunn and David Hammons.
