Gayest places in Maine research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to research the cities in Maine with the highest percent of same-sex households for 2026. The data comes from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year vintage, which counts same-sex married spouses and same-sex unmarried partners at the city level.
2.9% gay households · #1 gayest in Maine
Located in
Waldo County, MaineBelfast 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
2.4% gay households · #2 gayest in Maine
Located in
Cumberland County, MaineSouth 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
2.2% gay households · #3 gayest in Maine
Located in
Androscoggin County, MaineAuburn 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
2.0% gay households · #4 gayest in Maine
Located in
Cumberland County, MainePortland 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
1.9% gay households · #5 gayest in Maine
Located in
York County, MaineBiddeford 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
1.9% gay households · #6 gayest in Maine
Located in
York County, MaineSaco 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
1.8% gay households · #7 gayest in Maine
Located in
Kennebec County, MaineGardiner is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,800 at the 2010 census. Popular with tourists, Gardiner is noted for its culture and old architecture. Gardiner is included in the Augusta, Maine micropolitan New England City and Town Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1.8% gay households · #8 gayest in Maine
Located in
Sagadahoc County, MaineBath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. The population was 8,514 at the 2010 census, and 8,357 as of 2013, the population has had a change of -10.2% since 2000. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County, which includes one city and 10 towns. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its 19th-century architecture. It is home to the Bath Iron Works and Heritage Days Festival, held annually on the Fourth of July weekend. It is commonly known as “The City of Ships.” Bath is part of the metropolitan statistical area of Greater Portland.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1.7% gay households · #9 gayest in Maine
Located in
Aroostook County, MaineCaribou is the second largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. Its population was 8,189 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1.2% gay households · #10 gayest in Maine
Located in
Cumberland County, MaineWestbrook 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
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Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Maine’s statewide median.
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Where Maine’s LGBTQ households are
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the gayest places in Maine for 2026
In order to rank the gayest cities in Maine, we used Saturday Night Science and the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census. We looked at:
- Percentage of all households that are unmarried, same-sex partners
We limited the analysis to non-CDPs that have over 1,000 households.
We ranked each place from 1 to 21 with the city containing the highest percentage of unmarried, same-sex partner households being the most gay.
In the end, Belfast ended up being the most gay place with 2.9% gay households.
Skip to the end to see the list of all the places in the state from gayest to straightest.
We updated this report for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the gayest places in Maine.
The full plate
Gayest Places In Maine
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Households | LGBTQ Households | % Gay Households |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belfast | 3,400 | 97 | 2.9% |
| 2 | South Portland | 12,152 | 289 | 2.4% |
| 3 | Auburn | 10,337 | 232 | 2.2% |
| 4 | Portland | 32,965 | 674 | 2.0% |
| 5 | Biddeford | 9,204 | 174 | 1.9% |
| 6 | Saco | 8,998 | 167 | 1.9% |
| 7 | Gardiner | 2,730 | 49 | 1.8% |
| 8 | Bath | 4,335 | 76 | 1.8% |
| 9 | Caribou | 3,542 | 61 | 1.7% |
| 10 | Westbrook | 9,138 | 111 | 1.2% |
| 11 | Bangor | 14,581 | 166 | 1.1% |
| 12 | Old Town | 3,192 | 34 | 1.1% |
| 13 | Augusta | 9,453 | 92 | 1.0% |
| 14 | Lewiston | 16,099 | 137 | 0.9% |
| 15 | Ellsworth | 3,731 | 26 | 0.7% |
| 16 | Brewer | 4,250 | 22 | 0.5% |
| 17 | Presque Isle | 4,079 | 12 | 0.3% |
| 18 | Waterville | 6,804 | 19 | 0.3% |
| 19 | Hallowell | 1,289 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 20 | Calais | 1,420 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 21 | Rockland | 3,565 | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. Places with over 1,000 households.
Summary
There You Have It – The Most LGBT Friendly Cities In Maine For 2026
If you’re looking at the number of gay households in Maine, this is an accurate list.
The gayest cities in Maine are Belfast, South Portland, Auburn, Portland, Biddeford, Saco, Gardiner, Bath, Caribou, and Westbrook. Not sold on Maine? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
