The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Maine For 2024


The fastest-growing cities in Maine are Westbrook and Ellsworth for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

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.


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


The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Maine For 2024

  1. Westbrook
  2. Ellsworth
  3. Saco
  4. South Portland
  5. Biddeford
  6. Belfast
  7. Auburn
  8. Portland
  9. Lewiston
  10. Brewer

Fastest Growing Cities In Maine Map

What’s the fastest growing city in Maine for 2024? Based on the most recent ACS data, Westbrook ranks as the fastest-growing city in Maine. If you happen to be a resident of Westbrook, you’re probably not surprised to find it on our list.

If you’re surprised — and you’re wondering why these places are a big deal — keep reading. We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 places in Maine grow like weeds.

For more Maine state reading:

The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Maine For 2024

1. Westbrook

Westbrook, ME

Source: Wikipedia User Kenenth C. Zirkel | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 20,339
Population 2010: 17,314
Percent Growth 17.5%
Absolute Growth: 3,025
More on Westbrook: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

2. Ellsworth

Ellsworth, ME

Source: Wikipedia User Billy Hathorn | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 8,478
Population 2010: 7,555
Percent Growth 12.2%
Absolute Growth: 923
More on Ellsworth: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

3. Saco

Saco, ME

Source: Wikipedia User Josh and Melanie Rosenthal | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 20,446
Population 2010: 18,398
Percent Growth 11.1%
Absolute Growth: 2,048
More on Saco: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

4. South Portland

South Portland, ME

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

8.5
/10

Population: 26,656
Population 2010: 24,804
Percent Growth 7.5%
Absolute Growth: 1,852
More on South Portland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

5. Biddeford

Biddeford, ME

Source: Wikipedia User Tomasso, English Wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 22,438
Population 2010: 21,490
Percent Growth 4.4%
Absolute Growth: 948
More on Biddeford: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

6. Belfast

Belfast, ME

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

8
/10

Population: 6,953
Population 2010: 6,691
Percent Growth 3.9%
Absolute Growth: 262
More on Belfast: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

7. Auburn

Auburn, ME

Source: Wikipedia User Aissa Richards | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 24,038
Population 2010: 23,279
Percent Growth 3.3%
Absolute Growth: 759
More on Auburn: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

8. Portland

Portland, ME

Source: Wikipedia User Bd2media | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 68,280
Population 2010: 66,138
Percent Growth 3.2%
Absolute Growth: 2,142
More on Portland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

9. Lewiston

Lewiston, ME

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 37,577
Population 2010: 36,684
Percent Growth 2.4%
Absolute Growth: 893
More on Lewiston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

10. Brewer

Brewer, ME

Source: Wikipedia User P199 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 9,633
Population 2010: 9,433
Percent Growth 2.1%
Absolute Growth: 200
More on Brewer: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Pine Tree State for 2024

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 2022)

We ranked all 19 Maine cities with a population over 5,000 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 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the fastest growing cities in Maine.

Here’s a graph of the cities in Maine with the most significant percent increase in population:
Fastest Growing Cities in Maine Graph For 2024

Click to enlarge

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, Biddeford, Belfast, Auburn, Portland, Lewiston, and Brewer.

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!

These places have been growing (or shrinking) the slowest (fastest):

  1. Caribou
  2. Presque Isle
  3. Rockland

For more Maine reading, check out:

Fastest Growing Places In Maine For 2024

Rank City Population Population 2010 Growth Absolute Growth
1 Westbrook 20,339 17,314 17.5% 3,025
2 Ellsworth 8,478 7,555 12.2% 923
3 Saco 20,446 18,398 11.1% 2,048
4 South Portland 26,656 24,804 7.5% 1,852
5 Biddeford 22,438 21,490 4.4% 948
6 Belfast 6,953 6,691 3.9% 262
7 Auburn 24,038 23,279 3.3% 759
8 Portland 68,280 66,138 3.2% 2,142
9 Lewiston 37,577 36,684 2.4% 893
10 Brewer 9,633 9,433 2.1% 200
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.