Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Orono grades A overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 97% of U.S. towns. Its public schools beat 80% of Maine towns on state tests and graduation. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $309K, 4.7 years of the Bangor metro’s $66K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 11 places on the National Register. Orono is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among Maine’s towns. 67% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Orono, above both Maine’s towns (32%) and U.S. towns (29%). On walkability, just 20 of Maine’s 285 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Gov. Israel Washburn House and Maine Experiment Station Barn.
Where Orono beats most towns.
Gov. Israel Washburn House
Census counts: 351 in 1810, 11,183 in 2020. The archive holds 41 old photos and papers going back to 1780 and 5 maps from 1902 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Orono is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for safety (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 8%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Orono, 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 Orono.
Orono pairs an A overall with homes cheaper than the Maine norm, is shaped by its college students and draws workers from Bangor and beyond.
Its A− for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $309K.
Its public schools are run by RSU 26. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Orono High School, with 337 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asa C Adams SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 336 | B |
| Orono High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 337 | A− |
| Orono Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 154 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
The trail density in Orono is 1.9 miles per square mile. Caribou Bog Conservation Area, at 664 acres with 9.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 38 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Caribou Bog Conservation Area | 9.2 mi | 664 |
| 2. Rampe Conservation Easement | 2.1 mi | 36 |
| 3. Jeremiah Colburn Natural Area | 2 mi | 45 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
Orono’s property crime rate is 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Orono | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
4,401 jobs are based in Orono, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 15.2 minutes, against 24.6 across Maine.
About one in 4 of Orono’s working residents works in town. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Orono. Among 143 Maine towns, just 10 have a lower average trip to work than Orono.
| Orono | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 9,299 U.S. towns with household incomes like Orono’s, it is healthier than 94%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Its B+ for health tops all 5 graded neighbors; Eddington (B) comes closest.
Orono beats the Maine average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 23% of Orono adults report frequent mental distress. Of the 143 Maine towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Orono.
| Orono | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 32% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Orono | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.2% | 3.6% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7% | 11.2% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 11.5% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Orono grades A overall with a typical home of about $309K, below the Maine typical value; only 6 of the 33 Maine towns graded A− or better can say that. The median property tax bill is $4,830, against $3,036 across Maine, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Of the 143 Maine towns we compare, none has a lower share of households owning their home than Orono. The typical Orono home is worth about $309,000, up 1.8% in a year, 25% below the Maine typical home.
| Orono | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,255 a month | $1,106 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1987, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Orono.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Bangor Intl Ap weather station, 7 miles away, records that about 6 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 89% of Maine places with climate records. July afternoons average 79.9°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 88% of Maine places with climate records; January nights average 9.1°.
Orono has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 75 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Orono | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 9°F | 10°F | 22°F |
| July high | 80°F | 79°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
4 within 15 miles of the center of Orono
College town 56 of every 100 Orono residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
20.1% of the town is conserved land, across 17 parks and preserves.
11 places in Orono on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Orono.
Town in Maine, United States
Orono ( ORR-ə-noh) is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. Located on the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers, it was first settled by American colonists in 1774. They named it in honor of Chief Joseph Orono, a sachem of the indigenous Penobscot nation who long occupied this territory. In the 19th century, the town became a center of the lumber industry. Sawmills on the rivers were powered by the water, and logs were floated downriver on the Penobscot for shipping and export from coastal ports. Orono was home to a large pulp and paper mill. A defunct railroad spur extending from downtown to the Stillwater Community of Old Town is now the Stillwater River Trail. There has been a bri…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Orono.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Glenburn (C+) comes closest. Old Town next door grades lower for schools (C− to Orono’s A−) and higher for cost of living (C to D).
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orono | – | A | D | A+ | A− | B+ |
| Old Town | #105 | C− | C | B+ | C− | C+ |
| Glenburn | #77 | C+ | C | — | A− | B− |
| Bradley | — | — | B | — | C− | D |
| Eddington | — | — | C+ | — | A− | B |
| Bangor | #109 | C− | C− | D | B+ | C+ |
Bradley and Eddington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Glenburn, Bradley and Eddington report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Orono with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Orono grades A overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns. Orono is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among Maine’s towns. It grades B+ for health, A+ for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
9 notable people were born here, including Merritt Lyndon Fernald and Wallace Rider Farrington.
