The 10 Best Small Towns In Maine For 2026


The best small towns in Maine are Falmouth and Falmouth Foreside for 2026 based on Saturday Night Science.

By: Chris Kolmar | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: April 18, 2026

You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in Maine. Best sururbs in Maine. Best counties in Maine.

Etc., etc., etc.

But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Pine Tree State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.

Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in Maine based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.

We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in Maine ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

The 15 Best Small Towns To Live In Maine For 2026

  1. Falmouth
  2. Falmouth Foreside
  3. Cape Neddick
  4. Cumberland Center
  5. Berwick
  6. York Harbor
  7. South Windham
  8. Camden
  9. Hallowell
  10. South Eliot
  11. Thomaston
  12. North Berwick
  13. Lake Arrowhead
  14. Kennebunkport
  15. West Kennebunk

Best Small Towns To Live In Maine Map

What’s the best small town in Maine? Falmouth is the best small town in Maine based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Falmouth, chances are, you’re not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.

But for the rest of you–keep reading, and we’ll get to just why these small towns made our list.

For more reading on the Pine Tree State check out:

The 15 Best Small Towns In Maine For 2026

1. Falmouth

Falmouth, ME

Source: Wikipedia User Magicpiano | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,585
Median Income: $101,484 (7th Best)
Median Home Value: $888,726 (4th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.2%

2. Falmouth Foreside

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,051
Median Income: $177,411 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $1,174,877 (1st Best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.2%

3. Cape Neddick

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,453
Median Income: $108,412 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $940,451 (3rd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.1%

4. Cumberland Center

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,790
Median Income: $170,125 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $741,341 (7th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

5. Berwick

Berwick, ME

Source: Wikipedia User John Phelan | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,998
Median Income: $81,406 (14th Best)
Median Home Value: $469,207 (14th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.2%

6. York Harbor

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 4,240
Median Income: $100,625 (8th Best)
Median Home Value: $862,538 (5th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%

7. South Windham

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,212
Median Income: $133,223 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $431,887 (16th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

8. Camden

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,682
Median Income: $78,788 (16th Best)
Median Home Value: $664,560 (9th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.7%

9. Hallowell

Hallowell, ME

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 2,592
Median Income: $68,398 (23rd Best)
Median Home Value: $368,971 (18th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.3%

10. South Eliot

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 4,203
Median Income: $99,299 (9th Best)
Median Home Value: $653,534 (10th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.3%

11. Thomaston

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,055
Median Income: $52,133 (46th Best)
Median Home Value: $335,577 (23rd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%

12. North Berwick

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,702
Median Income: $98,317 (11th Best)
Median Home Value: $481,046 (13th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.3%

13. Lake Arrowhead

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,322
Median Income: $98,654 (10th Best)
Median Home Value: $367,303 (19th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.8%

14. Kennebunkport

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,276
Median Income: $121,189 (5th Best)
Median Home Value: $1,076,821 (2nd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.5%

15. West Kennebunk

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,395
Median Income: $124,167 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $761,403 (6th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 11.7%

Best States In America

Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Maine

We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in Maine possible.

Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (Higher is better)
  • Lowest Unemployment Rates
  • Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
  • Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
  • Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
  • Commute Times (Lower is better)

We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 64 to be exact.

We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 64, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Maine. Top of that list — Falmouth.

This is our eleventh time ranking the best small places to live in Maine.

Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones

We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these 15 small towns in Maine are the best in which to live.

And who can argue with that?

The best small towns in Maine are Falmouth, Falmouth Foreside, Cape Neddick, Cumberland Center, Berwick, York Harbor, South Windham, Camden, Hallowell, and South Eliot.

If you’re curious, here are the worst small towns in Maine:

  1. Howland
  2. Rumford
  3. Norway

For more Maine reading, check out:

Best Small Towns In Maine

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Value Unemployment Rate
1 Falmouth, ME 1,585 $101,484 1.2%
2 Falmouth Foreside, ME 2,051 $177,411 5.2%
3 Cape Neddick, ME 2,453 $108,412 1.1%
4 Cumberland Center, ME 2,790 $170,125 0.0%
5 Berwick, ME 1,998 $81,406 0.2%
6 York Harbor, ME 4,240 $100,625 2.4%
7 South Windham, ME 1,212 $133,223 0.0%
8 Camden, ME 3,682 $78,788 5.7%
9 Hallowell, ME 2,592 $68,398 0.3%
10 South Eliot, ME 4,203 $99,299 6.3%
11 Thomaston, ME 2,055 $52,133 3.5%
12 North Berwick, ME 1,702 $98,317 0.3%
13 Lake Arrowhead, ME 3,322 $98,654 0.8%
14 Kennebunkport, ME 1,276 $121,189 2.5%
15 West Kennebunk, ME 1,395 $124,167 11.7%
16 Boothbay Harbor, ME 1,047 $49,861 0.0%
17 Freeport, ME 1,441 $59,455 13.4%
18 Bar Harbor, ME 2,296 $67,701 10.7%
19 Damariscotta, ME 1,100 $67,647 10.5%
20 Milford, ME 2,269 $85,052 0.7%
21 Dixfield, ME 1,738 $70,608 3.3%
22 Lisbon Falls, ME 4,267 $72,344 3.1%
23 Waldoboro, ME 1,459 $68,895 0.0%
24 Fryeburg, ME 1,484 $57,083 5.7%
25 Farmingdale, ME 2,064 $62,006 2.9%
26 Fort Kent, ME 2,398 $50,513 1.8%
27 Oakland, ME 2,710 $44,848 0.8%
28 Winterport, ME 1,057 $75,694 4.7%
29 Bucksport, ME 3,105 $62,011 10.2%
30 Searsport, ME 1,218 $92,578 4.0%
31 Richmond, ME 2,089 $73,014 4.5%
32 Norridgewock, ME 1,378 $66,761 2.3%
33 Winthrop, ME 3,108 $61,058 4.5%
34 South Paris, ME 2,210 $55,074 0.0%
35 Randolph, ME 1,610 $66,574 2.5%
36 Eastport, ME 1,263 $45,573 2.8%
37 Fairfield, ME 2,356 $52,409 2.3%
38 Dexter, ME 1,852 $53,654 3.2%
39 Steep Falls, ME 1,861 $80,280 1.0%
40 Madawaska, ME 3,022 $55,666 8.7%
41 Fort Fairfield, ME 1,533 $56,452 16.3%
42 Livermore Falls, ME 1,409 $45,326 0.0%
43 Pittsfield, ME 3,084 $61,458 3.9%
44 Limestone, ME 1,079 $52,607 2.9%
45 Farmington, ME 4,705 $41,033 8.2%
46 Calais, ME 3,097 $64,096 5.8%
47 Dover-Foxcroft, ME 2,745 $56,250 4.3%
48 Oxford, ME 1,106 $56,111 7.9%
49 East Millinocket, ME 1,495 $42,011 6.3%
50 Clinton, ME 1,381 $70,625 5.7%
51 Mexico, ME 2,142 $50,972 1.5%
52 Millinocket, ME 3,779 $50,445 6.8%
53 Wilton, ME 1,687 $48,177 10.6%
54 Madison, ME 2,676 $61,698 1.0%
55 Bridgton, ME 1,756 $55,428 5.3%
56 Machias, ME 1,316 $27,926 8.5%
57 Van Buren, ME 1,634 $38,851 0.4%
58 Newport, ME 1,730 $45,127 3.8%
59 Mechanic Falls, ME 1,991 $46,384 4.7%
60 Milo, ME 1,347 $39,904 1.3%
61 Lincoln, ME 2,954 $49,097 4.8%
62 Norway, ME 3,173 $43,432 6.4%
63 Rumford, ME 4,067 $29,230 7.5%
64 Howland, ME 1,235 $53,250 11.3%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

 Best Small Towns