Is being in an area of Maine that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask.
Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Portland and Lewiston, while others want peace and quiet like in Gardiner and Belfast, thank you very much.
But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in Maine have grown the fastest.
After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Pine Tree State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
Maine gained a net 7,406 people from other states in the year ending July 2025 — 18th in the nation for domestic migration; the full moving statistics breakdown shows who’s coming and going.
20.0% growth since 2010 · 3,461 net new residents
Located in
Cumberland County, Maine
Westbrook is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States and a suburb of Portland. The population was 17,494 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
14.6% growth since 2010 · 1,102 net new residents
Located in
Hancock County, Maine
Ellsworth is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Maine, United States. The 2010 Census determined it had a population of 7,741. Ellsworth was Maine’s fastest growing city from 2000-2010, with a growth rate of nearly 20 percent. With historic buildings and other points of interest, Ellsworth is popular with tourists.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13.2% growth since 2010 · 2,421 net new residents
Located in
York County, Maine
Saco is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 18,482 at the 2010 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as General Dynamics Armament Systems, a subsidiary of the defense contractor General Dynamics. Saco sees much tourism during summer months, due to its amusement parks, Ferry Beach State Park, and proximity to Old Orchard Beach.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
8.6% growth since 2010 · 2,126 net new residents
Located in
Cumberland County, Maine
South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state, incorporated in 1898. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of Portland and the islands of Casco Bay. Due to South Portland’s close proximity to air, marine, rail, and highway transportation options, the city has become a center for retail and industry in the region.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
8.2% growth since 2010 · 1,300 net new residents
Located in
Kennebec County, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County of the U.S. state of Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. Home to Colby College and Thomas College, the population was 15,722 at the 2010 census. Waterville is also the latter of the cities which make up the Augusta-Waterville, ME Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
5.7% growth since 2010 · 1,323 net new residents
Located in
Androscoggin County, Maine
Auburn is a city in and the county seat of Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 23,055 at the 2010 census. Auburn and Lewiston are known locally as the Twin Cities or Lewiston-Auburn.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
4.7% growth since 2010 · 1,008 net new residents
Located in
York County, Maine
Biddeford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. The population was 21,277 at the 2010 census. Twin city of Saco, Biddeford includes the resort community of Biddeford Pool, Fortunes Rocks and Granite Point. The town is the site of the University of New England and the annual La Kermesse Franco-Americaine Festival. First visited by Europeans in 1616, it is the site of one of the earliest European settlements in the United States.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
4.5% growth since 2010 · 1,640 net new residents
Located in
Androscoggin County, Maine
Lewiston is the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County. The city borders the coastal sideways of the Gulf of Maine and is south of Augusta, the state’s capital and north of Portland, the cultural hub of Maine. It is one-half of the Lewiston-Auburn Metropolitan Statistical Area, commonly referred to as “L.A.” or “L-A.” Lewiston exerts a significant impact upon the diversity, religious variety, commerce, education, and economic power of Maine. It is known for a relatively low cost of living, substantial access to medical care, and an extremely low violent crime rate. While the dominant language spoken in the city is English, it is home to the largest French-speaking population in the United States while it is second to St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, in percentage of speakers.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
4.4% growth since 2010 · 295 net new residents
Located in
Waldo County, Maine
Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,668. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River estuary on Penobscot Bay, Belfast is the county seat of Waldo County. The seaport has a wealth of antique architecture in several historic districts, and remains popular with tourists.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
4.1% growth since 2010 · 2,716 net new residents
Located in
Cumberland County, Maine
Portland is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine, with a population of 66,937 as of 2016. This makes it the fourth least populous city in the U.S. to be the most populous in its state. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, more than one-third of Maine’s total population. The Old Port district is frequented by tourists, while Portland Head Light is also a destination. The city seal depicts a phoenix rising from ashes, which is a reference to the recoveries from four devastating fires. Portland was named after the English Isle of Portland, and the city of Portland, Oregon, was in turn named after Portland, Maine.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Maine’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Maine’s growth is happening
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Pine Tree State for 2026
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Current Population
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to Current (the latest available data, which came out in Dec 2024)
We ranked all 19 Maine cities with a population over 6,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Pine Tree State.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula: [Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010].
The data has been updated for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in Maine.
The full plate
Fastest Growing Places In Maine For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Population 2010 | Growth | Absolute Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Westbrook | 20,775 | 17,314 | 20.0% | 3,461 |
| 2 | Ellsworth | 8,657 | 7,555 | 14.6% | 1,102 |
| 3 | Saco | 20,819 | 18,398 | 13.2% | 2,421 |
| 4 | South Portland | 26,930 | 24,804 | 8.6% | 2,126 |
| 5 | Waterville | 17,077 | 15,777 | 8.2% | 1,300 |
| 6 | Auburn | 24,602 | 23,279 | 5.7% | 1,323 |
| 7 | Biddeford | 22,498 | 21,490 | 4.7% | 1,008 |
| 8 | Lewiston | 38,324 | 36,684 | 4.5% | 1,640 |
| 9 | Belfast | 6,986 | 6,691 | 4.4% | 295 |
| 10 | Portland | 68,854 | 66,138 | 4.1% | 2,716 |
| 11 | Gardiner | 6,088 | 5,898 | 3.2% | 190 |
| 12 | Brewer | 9,652 | 9,433 | 2.3% | 219 |
| 13 | Bath | 8,815 | 8,759 | 0.6% | 56 |
| 14 | Augusta | 19,077 | 19,150 | -0.4% | -73 |
| 15 | Bangor | 31,938 | 32,899 | -2.9% | -961 |
| 16 | Old Town | 7,470 | 7,886 | -5.3% | -416 |
| 17 | Rockland | 7,035 | 7,431 | -5.3% | -396 |
| 18 | Presque Isle | 8,736 | 9,673 | -9.7% | -937 |
| 19 | Caribou | 7,382 | 8,235 | -10.4% | -853 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS, 2010-current. 19 Maine cities with more than 6,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Maine, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Maine are led by Westbrook which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
The fastest-growing cities in Maine are Westbrook, Ellsworth, Saco, South Portland, Waterville, Auburn, Biddeford, Lewiston, Belfast, and Portland.
It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know! Not sold on Maine? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Fastest Growing Cities In Maine FAQs
What is the fastest-growing city in Maine?
Westbrook is the fastest-growing city in Maine for 2026, based on population change since 2010. Ellsworth and Saco are growing nearly as fast.
What are the top 10 fastest-growing cities in Maine?
The fastest-growing cities in Maine are Westbrook, Ellsworth, Saco, South Portland, Waterville, Auburn, Biddeford, Lewiston, Belfast, and Portland. We ranked all 19 cities with more than 6,000 residents.
How do you measure growth?
Growth is the percent change in population from the 2010 Census to the latest American Community Survey estimates. No projections, no vibes — just how many more people actually live there now.
What is the slowest-growing city on the list?
Caribou posts the smallest population change of the 19 Maine cities we ranked. Slow growth is not automatically bad news, but the momentum is clearly elsewhere.
Do small towns count in this ranking?
Only places with more than 6,000 residents qualify, which keeps one new subdivision from turning a tiny town into a statistical rocket. 19 Maine cities cleared that bar this year.
