Best places to live in Maine (2026)

All 5 ranked places in Maine, by all-round score.

Ranked by an all-round score: the average of all 15 quality scores (housing costs, taxes, jobs, healthcare, schools, education, family life, safety, natural disasters, climate and more), weighted equally. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out, since their safety is unknown. Scores are out of 100.

1. 1South Portland, MESmall city · 3-bed $537k · very safe59
2. 2Portland, MESmall city · 3-bed $563k · safe59
3. 3Bangor, MESmall city · 3-bed $282k · very safe50
4. 4Bar Harbor, MESmall town · 3-bed $659k · very safe49
5. 5Lewiston, MESmall city · 3-bed $304k · safe44

Cheapest places to live in Maine

Ranked by the typical value of a 3-bedroom home (Zillow), lowest first.

1. 1Bangor, MESmall city · rent $2,130/mo · cost of living 97$282k
2. 2Lewiston, MESmall city · rent $2,050/mo · cost of living 95$304k
3. 3South Portland, MESmall city · rent $2,590/mo · cost of living 102$537k
4. 4Portland, MESmall city · rent $2,590/mo · cost of living 102$563k
5. 5Bar Harbor, MESmall town · rent $2,050/mo · cost of living 97$659k

Safest places to live in Maine

Ranked by violent crimes per resident in FBI 2019 data, lowest first. Places missing from the FBI table are left out.

1. 1Bar Harbor, MESmall town · violent crime 0.1× the US rate39 per 100k
2. 2Bangor, MESmall city · violent crime 0.3× the US rate110 per 100k
3. 3South Portland, MESmall city · violent crime 0.5× the US rate187 per 100k
4. 4Portland, MESmall city · violent crime 0.6× the US rate242 per 100k
5. 5Lewiston, MESmall city · violent crime 0.8× the US rate298 per 100k

Safest places from natural disasters in Maine

Ranked by our natural disaster score: FEMA's expected deaths, injuries and home damage from 18 hazards, plus federally declared disasters in the county since 2000.

1. 1Bangor, ME5 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, hurricanes88
2. 2Lewiston, ME9 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, hurricanes85
3. 3Portland, ME10 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, hurricanes82
4. 4South Portland, ME10 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, hurricanes81
5. 5Bar Harbor, ME9 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly hurricanes, flooding79

Best places to live for families in Maine

Ranked by a family score: the average of our Kids & family, Safety, Schools and Affordable housing scores. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out.

1. 1Bar Harbor, MESmall town · schools excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $659k67
2. 2Bangor, MESmall city · schools excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $282k63
3. 3South Portland, MESmall city · schools average · safety excellent · 3-bed $537k55
4. 4Portland, MESmall city · schools average · safety good · 3-bed $563k49
5. 5Lewiston, MESmall city · schools poor · safety good · 3-bed $304k41

Best places for public schools in Maine

Ranked by our Schools score: public school math and reading results in 2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP 2019, so places in different states compare fairly.

1. 1Bar Harbor, MESmall town · tests well above US average · 10 students per teacher · 3-bed $659k85
2. 2Bangor, MESmall city · tests well above US average · 13 students per teacher · 3-bed $282k81
3. 3South Portland, MESmall city · tests close to US average · 13 students per teacher · 3-bed $537k56
4. 4Portland, MESmall city · tests close to US average · 13 students per teacher · 3-bed $563k53
5. 5Lewiston, MESmall city · tests well below US average · 13 students per teacher · 3-bed $304k4

Best places to live · Cheapest places to live · Safest places to live · Safest places from natural disasters · Best places to live for families · Best places for public schools

Data: US Census, Zillow, HUD, BEA, FBI 2019, FEMA, NOAA, NASA, CMS, NCES and others. How scores work.