There’s no denying it: there are plenty of places in Maine that are downright beautiful and full of excitement.
Unfortunately, not all towns and cities in Pine Tree State are so lucky.
Just like in all U.S. States, there are definitely some boring places within Maine’s’ borders. You know the places where everyone has an AARP card and the most exciting thing they do all day is post a picture of their grandchild on Facebook.
Like Caribou, for instance. In our latest analysis, we found that this city was the most boring city in all of Maine according to Saturday Night Science. But don’t feel bad if you’re a resident of Caribou. There are plenty of other boring, lackluster places in Maine as well.
Here they are. Try not to jump out of your seat with excitement.
51.3 median age · 34.0% married households · #2 oldest in Maine
Located in
Aroostook County, Maine
Caribou 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
43.0 median age · 24.0% married households · #9 oldest in Maine
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
44.9 median age · 27.0% married households · #6 oldest 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
43.8 median age · 21.0% married households · #8 oldest in Maine
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
44.1 median age · 33.0% married households · #7 oldest in Maine
Located in
Aroostook County, Maine
Presque Isle is the commercial center and largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,171 in 2015 as estimated by the US Census, a decrease from the count of 9,692 in the 2010 Census. The city is home to the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Northern Maine Community College, Husson University Presque Isle, Northern Maine Fairgrounds, The Aroostook Centre Mall, and the Northern Maine Regional Airport.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
60.6 median age · 19.0% married households · #1 oldest in Maine
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
40.1 median age · 31.0% married households · #15 oldest in Maine
Located in
Penobscot County, Maine
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
42.5 median age · 19.0% married households · #10 oldest 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
41.4 median age · 27.0% married households · #12 oldest 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
50.3 median age · 19.0% married households · #3 oldest in 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 the quiet settles in Maine
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the boring cities in the Pine Tree State
You would present the following case to your friends if you were argueing with them at a bar about the most boring place to live in Maine. And that’s why we call it Saturday Night Science.
Because our data speaks more truth than feelings.
To figure out how boring a place is, we factored in things we generally think make people exciting, and then we figure out which cities have the least number of those exciting people.
We used the U.S. American Community Census data to gather the information presented here. Some of the things people tend to think of as making a city’s population boring include:
- % of Population Over 25 (higher is more boring)
- % of Married Household (higher is more boring)
- Average Age (higher is more boring)
- % of Households With Kids (higher is more boring)
- Population density (lower is more boring)
Then, our algorithm generates a ranking for each place in these categories. After crunching the numbers, all of the cities ranked from most boring to most exciting.
For this ranking, we used every Maine city with at least 2,000 residents. This keeps us from prejudicing our rankings by including very small pockets of retired people.
Grab your rocker and hold on.
We updated this article for 2026, and it’s our eleventh time ranking the most boring cities in Maine.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Most Boring Cities In Maine For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Boring Score | Population | Average Age | % Married | % Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caribou | 5.20 | 7,382 | 51.3 | 34.0% | 18.8% |
| 2 | Ellsworth | 5.60 | 8,657 | 43.0 | 24.0% | 25.2% |
| 3 | Saco | 6.00 | 20,819 | 44.9 | 27.0% | 25.7% |
| 4 | Calais | 6.80 | 3,097 | 43.8 | 21.0% | 25.3% |
| 5 | Presque Isle | 6.80 | 8,736 | 44.1 | 33.0% | 22.0% |
| 6 | Belfast | 8.20 | 6,986 | 60.6 | 19.0% | 15.9% |
| 7 | Brewer | 9.40 | 9,652 | 40.1 | 31.0% | 27.9% |
| 8 | Augusta | 9.80 | 19,077 | 42.5 | 19.0% | 23.7% |
| 9 | Auburn | 9.80 | 24,602 | 41.4 | 27.0% | 24.9% |
| 10 | Hallowell | 10.00 | 2,592 | 50.3 | 19.0% | 14.7% |
| 11 | Bath | 10.60 | 8,815 | 45.4 | 21.0% | 19.6% |
| 12 | Gardiner | 10.80 | 6,088 | 42.0 | 24.0% | 19.9% |
| 13 | Rockland | 11.10 | 7,035 | 49.3 | 18.0% | 14.8% |
| 14 | Westbrook | 11.40 | 20,775 | 37.4 | 27.0% | 25.1% |
| 15 | Bangor | 13.00 | 31,938 | 41.0 | 20.0% | 21.6% |
| 16 | South Portland | 13.60 | 26,930 | 40.9 | 21.0% | 20.7% |
| 17 | Lewiston | 13.80 | 38,324 | 37.3 | 24.0% | 24.5% |
| 18 | Biddeford | 15.00 | 22,498 | 35.0 | 23.0% | 19.2% |
| 19 | Portland | 15.80 | 68,854 | 37.8 | 12.0% | 18.0% |
| 20 | Waterville | 17.30 | 17,077 | 35.5 | 18.0% | 20.8% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 20 cities with more than 2,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
On a ranking like this, there are usually no winners, but since Maine isn’t necessarily the most boring state in the United States, the cities on this ranking can at least take solace that there are, in fact, more boring cities in the country.
The most boring cities in Maine are Caribou, Ellsworth, Saco, Calais, Presque Isle, Belfast, Brewer, Augusta, Auburn, and Hallowell.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the most exciting places in Maine, according to science.
