You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in Maine. Best suburbs 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.
$101,484 median income · 1.2% unemployment
$177,411 median income · 5.2% unemployment
$108,412 median income · 1.1% unemployment
$170,125 median income · 0.0% unemployment
$81,406 median income · 0.2% unemployment
$100,625 median income · 2.4% unemployment
$133,223 median income · 0.0% unemployment
$78,788 median income · 5.7% unemployment
$68,398 median income · 0.3% unemployment
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$99,299 median income · 6.3% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Maine’s statewide median.
Maine statewide median: $74,733
Maine statewide median: $407,566
Maine statewide median: 3.8%
On the map
Where Maine’s best small towns are
Saturday Night Science
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.
The full plate
Best Small Towns In Maine
Click any column to sort. Search by town name.
| Rank | Town | Population | Median Income | Median Home Value | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Falmouth | 1,585 | $101,484 | $888,727 | 1.2% |
| 2 | Falmouth Foreside | 2,051 | $177,411 | $1,174,878 | 5.2% |
| 3 | Cape Neddick | 2,453 | $108,412 | $940,452 | 1.1% |
| 4 | Cumberland Center | 2,790 | $170,125 | $741,341 | 0.0% |
| 5 | Berwick | 1,998 | $81,406 | $469,208 | 0.2% |
| 6 | York Harbor | 4,240 | $100,625 | $862,539 | 2.4% |
| 7 | South Windham | 1,212 | $133,223 | $431,888 | 0.0% |
| 8 | Camden | 3,682 | $78,788 | $664,560 | 5.7% |
| 9 | Hallowell | 2,592 | $68,398 | $368,971 | 0.3% |
| 10 | South Eliot | 4,203 | $99,299 | $653,534 | 6.3% |
| 11 | Thomaston | 2,055 | $52,133 | $335,577 | 3.5% |
| 12 | North Berwick | 1,702 | $98,317 | $481,047 | 0.3% |
| 13 | Lake Arrowhead | 3,322 | $98,654 | $367,304 | 0.8% |
| 14 | Kennebunkport | 1,276 | $121,189 | $1,076,821 | 2.5% |
| 15 | West Kennebunk | 1,395 | $124,167 | $761,403 | 11.7% |
| 16 | Boothbay Harbor | 1,047 | $49,861 | $508,754 | 0.0% |
| 17 | Freeport | 1,441 | $59,455 | $678,598 | 13.4% |
| 18 | Bar Harbor | 2,296 | $67,701 | $649,120 | 10.7% |
| 19 | Damariscotta | 1,100 | $67,647 | $467,224 | 10.5% |
| 20 | Milford | 2,269 | $85,052 | $218,360 | 0.7% |
| 21 | Dixfield | 1,738 | $70,608 | $185,343 | 3.3% |
| 22 | Lisbon Falls | 4,267 | $72,344 | $325,144 | 3.1% |
| 23 | Waldoboro | 1,459 | $68,895 | $332,682 | 0.0% |
| 24 | Fryeburg | 1,484 | $57,083 | $351,579 | 5.7% |
| 25 | Farmingdale | 2,064 | $62,006 | $316,910 | 2.9% |
| 26 | Fort Kent | 2,398 | $50,513 | $187,482 | 1.8% |
| 27 | Oakland | 2,710 | $44,848 | $324,841 | 0.8% |
| 28 | Winterport | 1,057 | $75,694 | $293,368 | 4.7% |
| 29 | Bucksport | 3,105 | $62,011 | $273,130 | 10.2% |
| 30 | Searsport | 1,218 | $92,578 | $311,692 | 4.0% |
| 31 | Richmond | 2,089 | $73,014 | $329,883 | 4.5% |
| 32 | Norridgewock | 1,378 | $66,761 | $248,079 | 2.3% |
| 33 | Winthrop | 3,108 | $61,058 | $335,809 | 4.5% |
| 34 | South Paris | 2,210 | $55,074 | $266,861 | 0.0% |
| 35 | Randolph | 1,610 | $66,574 | $268,799 | 2.5% |
| 36 | Eastport | 1,263 | $45,573 | $233,377 | 2.8% |
| 37 | Fairfield | 2,356 | $52,409 | $235,737 | 2.3% |
| 38 | Dexter | 1,852 | $53,654 | $199,788 | 3.2% |
| 39 | Steep Falls | 1,861 | $80,280 | $334,462 | 1.0% |
| 40 | Madawaska | 3,022 | $55,666 | $151,026 | 8.7% |
| 41 | Fort Fairfield | 1,533 | $56,452 | $129,269 | 16.3% |
| 42 | Livermore Falls | 1,409 | $45,326 | $208,951 | 0.0% |
| 43 | Pittsfield | 3,084 | $61,458 | $195,702 | 3.9% |
| 44 | Limestone | 1,079 | $52,607 | $106,098 | 2.9% |
| 45 | Farmington | 4,705 | $41,033 | $272,289 | 8.2% |
| 46 | Calais | 3,097 | $64,096 | $153,921 | 5.8% |
| 47 | Dover-Foxcroft | 2,745 | $56,250 | $233,354 | 4.3% |
| 48 | Oxford | 1,106 | $56,111 | $340,773 | 7.9% |
| 49 | East Millinocket | 1,495 | $42,011 | $169,272 | 6.3% |
| 50 | Clinton | 1,381 | $70,625 | $247,110 | 5.7% |
| 51 | Mexico | 2,142 | $50,972 | $175,934 | 1.5% |
| 52 | Millinocket | 3,779 | $50,445 | $149,629 | 6.8% |
| 53 | Wilton | 1,687 | $48,177 | $231,423 | 10.6% |
| 54 | Madison | 2,676 | $61,698 | $213,843 | 1.0% |
| 55 | Bridgton | 1,756 | $55,428 | $405,218 | 5.3% |
| 56 | Machias | 1,316 | $27,926 | $183,500 | 8.5% |
| 57 | Van Buren | 1,634 | $38,851 | $99,818 | 0.4% |
| 58 | Newport | 1,730 | $45,127 | $257,677 | 3.8% |
| 59 | Mechanic Falls | 1,991 | $46,384 | $296,650 | 4.7% |
| 60 | Milo | 1,347 | $39,904 | $119,300 | 1.3% |
| 61 | Lincoln | 2,954 | $49,097 | $214,081 | 4.8% |
| 62 | Norway | 3,173 | $43,432 | $334,888 | 6.4% |
| 63 | Rumford | 4,067 | $29,230 | $175,835 | 7.5% |
| 64 | Howland | 1,235 | $53,250 | $181,618 | 11.3% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 64 Maine towns between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Summary
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 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. Not sold on Maine? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Small Towns In Maine FAQs
What is the best small town to live in Maine?
Falmouth is the best small town in Maine for 2026. The median household income there is $101,484 and the median home costs $888,727. Falmouth Foreside and Cape Neddick round out the top three.
What are the best small towns in Maine?
The best small towns in Maine are Falmouth, Falmouth Foreside, Cape Neddick, Cumberland Center, Berwick, York Harbor, South Windham, Camden, Hallowell, and South Eliot. We ranked all 64 Maine towns with between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
What counts as a small town?
For this ranking, a small town is any Maine place with between 1,000 and 5,000 residents. 64 towns fit that window this year.
How do you rank the best small towns in Maine?
Each town is scored on density, unemployment, housing costs, income, education, insurance coverage, and commute times, using Census American Community Survey data. The town with the best average across all of it, Falmouth, takes the top spot.
How much does a home cost in Falmouth?
The median home in Falmouth runs $888,727, against $407,566 across Maine as a whole. Pair that with a $101,484 median household income, and you can see why it ranks so well.
