Racial diversity in Maine is a mixed bag.
There are parts of Maine where there’s a high level of diversity. But where will you find the most diverse places in Maine?
To answer that question, we went to the US Census data. Using Saturday Night Science, we measured the Gini coefficient for all 19 cities in Maine to rank them from most to least diverse.
#1 most diverse in Maine
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
#2 most diverse in Maine
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
#3 most diverse in Maine
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
#4 most diverse in Maine
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
#5 most diverse in Maine
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
#6 most diverse in Maine
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
#7 most diverse in Maine
Located in
Penobscot County, Maine
Bangor is a city along the Penobscot River in the U.S. state of Maine. The city proper has a population of 33,039, while the Bangor metropolitan area has a population of 153,746. Bangor is known as the “Queen City” of Maine.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#8 most diverse in Maine
Located in
Kennebec County, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Kennebec County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#9 most diverse in Maine
Located in
Kennebec County, Maine
Gardiner 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
#10 most diverse in Maine
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
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Maine’s statewide median.
On the map
Where diversity lives in Maine
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most diverse cities in Maine for 2026
We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census — and Saturday Night Science. So that’s where we went to get the race breakdown across Maine.
That leads us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2020-2024 American Community Survey data from the US Census.
Specifically, we looked at table B03002: HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- White alone*
- Black or African American alone*
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
- Asian alone*
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
- Some other race alone*
- Two or more races*
- Hispanic or Latino
We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 6,000 people. That left us with 19 cities.
We then calculated the HHI for each city by finding the racial breakdown of a city in percent terms, squaring them, and then adding the squares together. This left us with scores ranging from 6,151 (Portland) to 8,795 (Rockland).
Finally, we ranked each city based on the HHI, with a lower score being more diverse than a high score. Portland took the distinction of being the most diverse, while Rockland was the least diverse city.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the most diverse places in Maine.
The full plate
Race By City In Maine For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | HHI | % White | % Black | % Hispanic | % Asian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland | 68,854 | 6,151 | 77.5% | 9.1% | 3.1% | 3.9% |
| 2 | Lewiston | 38,324 | 6,185 | 77.3% | 13.8% | 3.1% | 1.7% |
| 3 | South Portland | 26,930 | 6,340 | 78.9% | 7.1% | 4.0% | 3.4% |
| 4 | Westbrook | 20,775 | 6,582 | 80.5% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 2.1% |
| 5 | Saco | 20,819 | 7,055 | 83.5% | 1.9% | 3.5% | 1.2% |
| 6 | Waterville | 17,077 | 7,647 | 87.2% | 1.5% | 3.0% | 1.8% |
| 7 | Bangor | 31,938 | 7,718 | 87.7% | 2.8% | 3.1% | 1.7% |
| 8 | Augusta | 19,077 | 7,735 | 87.7% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 1.3% |
| 9 | Gardiner | 6,088 | 7,778 | 88.0% | 1.5% | 3.3% | 0.9% |
| 10 | Auburn | 24,602 | 7,965 | 89.1% | 3.5% | 3.0% | 1.2% |
| 11 | Old Town | 7,470 | 8,002 | 89.3% | 3.3% | 2.4% | 0.0% |
| 12 | Belfast | 6,986 | 8,125 | 89.8% | 0.0% | 2.0% | 0.5% |
| 13 | Presque Isle | 8,736 | 8,148 | 90.1% | 1.7% | 1.4% | 0.8% |
| 14 | Ellsworth | 8,657 | 8,306 | 91.0% | 1.5% | 1.0% | 1.6% |
| 15 | Brewer | 9,652 | 8,326 | 91.1% | 1.3% | 3.3% | 0.1% |
| 16 | Biddeford | 22,498 | 8,389 | 91.5% | 0.9% | 3.1% | 1.3% |
| 17 | Caribou | 7,382 | 8,398 | 91.5% | 0.1% | 0.9% | 0.4% |
| 18 | Bath | 8,815 | 8,591 | 92.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| 19 | Rockland | 7,035 | 8,795 | 93.6% | 0.1% | 1.4% | 0.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 19 cities with more than 6,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Diversity Across Maine
If you’re looking for a scientific breakdown of diversity across Maine, this is an accurate list.
The most diverse cities in Maine are Portland, Lewiston, South Portland, Westbrook, Saco, Waterville, Bangor, Augusta, Gardiner, and Auburn.
