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You've seen these lists before: Best places to live in Maine, Most Beautiful Downtowns, etc., etc. But all of them 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 best 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 just want to know which places in Maine ranked the based--you know, based on science.
Before we get to the top 15, here's a look at the 10 Best Small Towns To Live in Maine for 2022.
The 10 Best Small Towns To Live In Maine For 2022
What's the best small town in Maine? York Harbor is the best small town in Maine based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like York Harbor, 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 2022
/10
Population: 3,484
Median Income: $75,647 (8th Best)
Median Home Value: $420,400 (4th Best)
More on York Harbor: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,563
Median Income: $87,578 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $459,500 (2nd Best)
More on Cape Neddick: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,877
Median Income: $99,605 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $436,400 (3rd Best)
More on Falmouth: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,047
Median Income: $69,706 (13th Best)
Median Home Value: $342,900 (9th Best)
More on South Eliot: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,550
Median Income: $123,026 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $556,900 (1st Best)
More on Falmouth Foreside: Data | Homes For Sale
Population: 1,034
Median Income: $106,635 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $419,200 (5th Best)
More on Kittery Point: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,543
Median Income: $71,419 (12th Best)
Median Home Value: $330,900 (11th Best)
More on Camden: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,163
Median Income: $61,181 (19th Best)
Median Home Value: $293,100 (12th Best)
More on Bar Harbor: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,944
Median Income: $107,703 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $348,400 (8th Best)
More on Cumberland Center: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,373
Median Income: $90,509 (5th Best)
Median Home Value: $211,100 (20th Best)
More on Hampden: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,879
Median Income: $54,766 (23rd Best)
Median Home Value: $180,200 (24th Best)
More on Freeport: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,985
Median Income: $65,464 (15th Best)
Median Home Value: $220,900 (17th Best)
More on Berwick: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,018
Median Income: $42,201 (44th Best)
Median Home Value: $176,200 (25th Best)
More on Thomaston: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,087
Median Income: $52,875 (25th Best)
Median Home Value: $230,100 (16th Best)
More on Boothbay Harbor: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,451
Median Income: $51,619 (27th Best)
Median Home Value: $158,100 (32nd Best)
More on Farmingdale: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Maine
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent data from the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 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 a lot - 73 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 73, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Maine. Top of that list -- York Harbor. You can download the data here.
Keep reading to find out more about our top 15 best small towns 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, we 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?
If you're curious, here are the worst small towns in Maine:
- Milo
- Madison
- Washburn
For more Maine reading, check out: