The Town Files

The 25 Best Small Towns for Families in Maine

Ranked on The Town Files lifestyle rankings among 152 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Maine. #1 is Cape Elizabeth, ME.

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Numbers match the ranking.
The 25 Best Small Towns for Families in Maine1. Cape Elizabeth100th pct2. Cumberland100th pct3. Cumberland Center100th pct4. China99th pct5. Durham99th pct6. North Yarmouth99th pct7. Belgrade97th pct8. Hampden96th pct9. Hampden96th pct10. Bowdoin96th pct11. Bowdoinham96th pct12. Sidney95th pct13. Raymond95th pct14. Lyman95th pct15. Waterboro94th pct16. Lake Arrowhead94th pct17. Greene93rd pct18. Winterport93rd pct19. Limerick93rd pct20. Jefferson92nd pct21. New Gloucester91st pct22. Limington91st pct23. Bristol91st pct24. Lebanon90th pct25. Acton90th pct
  1. 25Acton, Maine

    Better for families than 90% of Maine towns

    2,671 people · York County · median home $334,300 · income $78,750 · Jan low 10°F · 81 in snow

  2. 24Lebanon, Maine

    Better for families than 90% of Maine towns

    6,469 people · York County · median home $324,800 · income $97,750 · Jan low 10°F · 60 in snow

  3. 23Bristol, Maine

    Better for families than 91% of Maine towns

    2,834 people · Lincoln County · median home $406,400 · income $100,750 · Jan low 15°F · 70 in snow

  4. 22Limington, Maine

    Better for families than 91% of Maine towns

    3,892 people · York County · median home $295,600 · income $84,675 · Jan low 8°F · 81 in snow

  5. 21New Gloucester, Maine

    Better for families than 91% of Maine towns

    5,676 people · Cumberland County · median home $357,100 · income $108,797 · Jan low 11°F · 80 in snow

  6. 20Jefferson, Maine

    Better for families than 92% of Maine towns

    2,551 people · Lincoln County · median home $311,600 · income $85,078 · Jan low 15°F · 79 in snow

  7. 19Limerick, Maine

    Better for families than 93% of Maine towns

    3,188 people · York County · median home $269,400 · income $101,172 · Jan low 8°F · 81 in snow

  8. 18Winterport, Maine

    Better for families than 93% of Maine towns

    3,817 people · Waldo County · median home $283,000 · income $98,333 · Jan low 9°F · 74 in snow

  9. 17Greene, Maine

    Better for families than 93% of Maine towns

    4,376 people · Androscoggin County · median home $270,000 · income $98,093 · Jan low 12°F · 65 in snow

  10. 16Lake Arrowhead, Maine

    Better for families than 94% of Maine towns

    3,192 people · York County · median home $267,300 · income $98,654 · Jan low 8°F · 81 in snow

  11. 15Waterboro, Maine

    Better for families than 94% of Maine towns

    7,936 people · York County · median home $297,000 · income $89,392 · Jan low 8°F · 81 in snow

  12. 14Lyman, Maine

    Better for families than 95% of Maine towns

    4,525 people · York County · median home $360,400 · income $87,284 · Jan low 10°F · 69 in snow

  13. 13Raymond, Maine

    Better for families than 95% of Maine towns

    4,536 people · Cumberland County · median home $395,800 · income $88,194 · Jan low 11°F · 80 in snow

  14. 12Sidney, Maine

    Better for families than 95% of Maine towns

    4,645 people · Kennebec County · median home $336,200 · income $83,488 · Jan low 9°F · 81 in snow

  15. 11Bowdoinham, Maine

    Better for families than 96% of Maine towns

    3,047 people · Sagadahoc County · median home $405,500 · income $108,479 · Jan low 10°F · 72 in snow

  16. 10Bowdoin, Maine

    Better for families than 96% of Maine towns

    3,136 people · Sagadahoc County · median home $292,800 · income $91,239 · Jan low 8°F · 78 in snow

  17. 9Hampden, Maine

    Better for families than 96% of Maine towns

    4,516 people · Penobscot County · median home $285,900 · income $112,228 · Jan low 9°F · 75 in snow

  18. 8Hampden, Maine

    Better for families than 96% of Maine towns

    7,709 people · Penobscot County · median home $301,300 · income $111,959 · Jan low 9°F · 75 in snow

  19. 7Belgrade, Maine

    Better for families than 97% of Maine towns

    3,250 people · Kennebec County · median home $312,200 · income $88,338 · Jan low 9°F · 87 in snow

  20. 6North Yarmouth, Maine

    Better for families than 99% of Maine towns

    4,072 people · Cumberland County · median home $496,500 · income $129,267 · Jan low 14°F · 84 in snow

  21. 5Durham, Maine

    Better for families than 99% of Maine towns

    4,173 people · Androscoggin County · median home $322,200 · income $99,181 · Jan low 8°F · 78 in snow

  22. 4China, Maine

    Better for families than 99% of Maine towns

    4,408 people · Kennebec County · median home $240,000 · income $96,309 · Jan low 9°F · 86 in snow

  23. 3Cumberland Center, Maine

    Better for families than 100% of Maine towns

    2,739 people · Cumberland County · median home $539,500 · income $170,125 · Jan low 14°F · 84 in snow

  24. 2Cumberland, Maine

    Better for families than 100% of Maine towns

    8,473 people · Cumberland County · median home $616,800 · income $173,894 · Jan low 14°F · 84 in snow

  25. 1Cape Elizabeth, Maine

    Better for families than 100% of Maine towns

    9,535 people · Cumberland County · median home $731,600 · income $145,821 · Jan low 16°F · 69 in snow

Price vs ranking

Median home value vs ranking, Maine towns0255075100$100K$246K$392K$538K$684KMedian home valuePercentile
Orange squares are the 25 towns on this list; green dots are other towns on The Town Files in Maine.

More Maine rankings

Same ranking, other places

Methodology. We ranked 152 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Maine (2020 Census population; towns with 2,500+ people have pages so far). Lifestyle measures are The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025), shown as percentiles. Only towns better than 60% of their peers on this measure qualify, so lists can be shorter than 25. Sources: