Orono is a place where college students are a big part of the character and culture of the town. Small towns have often struggled with declining populations over the past few decades, but the presence of such a large college student population has helped Orono to fight this trend. Not only does the college population add spending and jobs to local economy, but it also contributes a very tangible, youthful energy to the town.
Orono, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the town.
One of the benefits of Orono is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 17.50 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.
If knowledge is power, Orono is a pretty powerful place. 64.49% of the adults in Orono have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.
The per capita income in Orono in 2022 was $29,613, which is low income relative to Maine, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $118,452 for a family of four. However, Orono contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Orono is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Orono home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Orono residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Orono include Irish, English, German, French, and French Canadian.
The most common language spoken in Orono is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.
