Vinalhaven, Maine

Town in Knox County · population 1,279 (2020 Census)

Median home: $428,400
Household income: $72,963
Jan low / Jul high: 12° / 77°
Snow a year: 61 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 0
Median age: 65.1

Vinalhaven is a town of 1,279 people in Knox County, Maine. The median home is worth $428,400, above the typical Maine town ($238,950). It ranks better for retirees than 97% of Maine towns, quieter than 97% of Maine towns, better for a vacation home than 93% of Maine towns.

Vinalhaven in our rankings:

#8 in The 25 Quietest Small Towns in Maine
#13 in The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Maine

How Vinalhaven ranks

Percentile among Maine towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Maine towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Vinalhaven is worth $428,400, above the typical Maine town ($238,950). Homes cost about 5.9 times the median household income of $72,963, which is more affordable than 6% of Maine towns. Median rent is $1,017 a month. 86.6% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Maine towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Vinalhaven	Typical Maine town
Median home value	$428,400	$238,950
Median rent	$1,017	$1,027
Median household income	$72,963	$68,967
Home value ÷ income	5.9×	3.4×
Homeownership	86.6%	82.4%
Median year built	1966	1978
Seasonal / vacation homes	42.0%	—

Who lives in Vinalhaven

People	Vinalhaven	Typical Maine town
Median age	65.1	46.9
Age 65 and over	50.4%	22.9%
Under 18	11.2%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	45.7%	28.2%
Below the poverty line	7.3%	10.7%
Veterans	7.7%	—
Born outside the U.S.	8.0%	—
Work from home	19.3%	12.3%
Average commute	18.8 min	25.5 min
Homes with broadband	93.0%	90.0%

Weather in Vinalhaven

July highs average 76.7°F and January lows 12.0°F. About 56.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 60.9 inches of snow (typical Maine town: 77.2 in). Expect about 2 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 148 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the W Rockport 1 Nnw station (21.1 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 2 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

NOAA's Storm Events Database has no tornado within 10 miles of Vinalhaven since 1950.

Severe weather in Knox County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Knox County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 1 deaths recorded.

Knox County has been included in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, hurricane, snowstorm.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
March 20, 2024	Severe Storm	DR-4764: Severe Storms And Flooding
September 14, 2023	Hurricane	EM-3598: Hurricane Lee
July 6, 2023	Flood	DR-4719: Severe Storm And Flooding
March 22, 2023	Severe Storm	DR-4696: Severe Storm And Flooding
March 15, 2022	Coastal Storm	DR-4647: Severe Storm And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Knox County

Knox County had 16,874 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $55,720 a year. Unemployment was 2.9% in 2023; in Vinalhaven itself the ACS puts it at 2.2%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Vinalhaven

1 public school with 150 students, about 7.1 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Vinalhaven School	PK-12	150	7.1

Towns near Vinalhaven

Stonington, ME
11.5 mi · 1,056 people · home $306,700
Owls Head, ME
14.3 mi · 1,504 people · home $413,300
Deer Isle, ME
14.4 mi · 2,194 people · home $308,300
South Thomaston, ME
17.0 mi · 1,511 people · home $341,300
Rockport, ME
18.1 mi · 3,644 people · home $469,000
Islesboro, ME
18.1 mi · 583 people · home $288,800
Rockland, ME
18.2 mi · 6,936 people · home $245,800
Camden, ME
19.0 mi · 3,850 people · home $498,800

Vinalhaven questions

Is Vinalhaven, Maine a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Vinalhaven scores better for retirees than 97% of Maine towns and quieter than 97%. 50.4% of residents are 65 or older (median age 65.1).

How much does a house cost in Vinalhaven?

The median owner-occupied home in Vinalhaven is valued at $428,400 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $72,963, so homes cost about 5.9 times income. Median rent is $1,017 a month.

What is the weather like in Vinalhaven?

July highs average 76.7°F and January lows 12.0°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 56.2 inches of precipitation a year and 60.9 inches of snow.

Does Vinalhaven get tornadoes?

No tornado has been recorded within 10 miles of Vinalhaven in NOAA's Storm Events Database since 1950.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Vinalhaven's Census boundary (GEOID 2301379130). Comparisons use the median of Maine towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.