The 10 Worst Small Towns In Maine For 2024

Most Americans have never been to small town Maine. However, as the Mainer who live there know, small town Maine is an awesome place to call home.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Maine has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Pine Tree State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.

After analyzing more than 68 of Maine’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Maine where you’d never want to live:

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Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

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These are the worst small towns in Maine for 2024:

1. Howland
2. Machias
3. Rumford
4. Oxford
5. Madawaska
6. Calais
7. Norridgewock
8. Van Buren
9. Norway
10. Wilton

So what is the worst small town to call home in Maine for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Howland is the worst small town to live in Maine.

While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Howland home. Everyone

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Maine or the worst places to live in Maine.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Maine For 2024

1. Howland

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,126
Median Home Value: $169,600
Median Income: $45,313
Unemployment Rate: 10.0%

2. Machias

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,331
Median Home Value: $173,649
Median Income: $25,278
Unemployment Rate: 8.6%

3. Rumford

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,922
Median Home Value: $182,937
Median Income: $35,818
Unemployment Rate: 6.7%

4. Oxford

Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 1,100
Median Home Value: $280,380
Median Income: $75,065
Unemployment Rate: 17.5%

5. Madawaska

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,726
Median Home Value: $150,434
Median Income: $35,644
Unemployment Rate: 11.2%

6. Calais

Source: Wikipedia User P199 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,078
Median Home Value: $147,593
Median Income: $45,250
Unemployment Rate: 9.8%

7. Norridgewock

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,099
Median Home Value: $213,996
Median Income: $41,944
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

8. Van Buren

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,682
Median Home Value: $114,355
Median Income: $34,263
Unemployment Rate: 1.6%

9. Norway

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,698
Median Home Value: $310,044
Median Income: $38,381
Unemployment Rate: 7.5%

10. Wilton

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,599
Median Home Value: $221,773
Median Income: $42,143
Unemployment Rate: 11.1%

Next 10 Towns

Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Maine is lousy or not?

To rank the worst small towns to live in Maine, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.

We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.

Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

• Population Density (The lower, the worse)
• Highest Unemployment Rates
• Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
• Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
• Education (Number of high school dropouts)
• High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 68 to be exact.

We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Maine.

There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Maine

If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Pine Tree State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

The worst small towns in Maine are Howland, Machias, Rumford, Oxford, Madawaska, Calais, Norridgewock, Van Buren, Norway, and Wilton.

If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Maine, according to science:

1. York Harbor (Pop. 3,640)
2. Kittery Point (Pop. 1,017)
3. Falmouth Foreside (Pop. 2,022)

For more Maine reading, check out:

Worst Small Towns In Maine

Rank	Town	Population	Unemployment Rate	Home Value	Median Income
1	Howland	1,126	10.0%	$169,600	$45,313
2	Machias	1,331	8.6%	$173,649	$25,278
3	Rumford	3,922	6.7%	$182,937	$35,818
4	Oxford	1,100	17.5%	$280,380	$75,065
5	Madawaska	2,726	11.2%	$150,434	$35,644
6	Calais	3,078	9.8%	$147,593	$45,250
7	Norridgewock	1,099	0.0%	$213,996	$41,944
8	Van Buren	1,682	1.6%	$114,355	$34,263
9	Norway	2,698	7.5%	$310,044	$38,381
10	Wilton	1,599	11.1%	$221,773	$42,143
11	Lincoln	2,521	2.4%	$200,432	$28,932
12	Milo	1,409	2.1%	$137,176	$51,528
13	Woodland	1,173	2.4%	$136,413	$44,917
14	Dover-Foxcroft	2,836	7.1%	$215,084	$47,764
15	Houlton	4,918	18.6%	$138,896	$50,625
16	Fairfield	2,647	4.6%	$231,626	$34,657
17	Millinocket	4,136	8.9%	$147,361	$45,345
18	Farmington	4,318	4.4%	$257,958	$40,350
19	Newport	1,485	2.7%	$244,293	$36,563
20	Pittsfield	3,148	1.6%	$201,883	$42,292
21	Bridgton	1,514	8.4%	$393,835	$56,475
22	Mechanic Falls	2,286	8.7%	$261,793	$55,986
23	Limestone	1,165	2.4%	$119,879	$36,023
24	Madison	2,100	1.9%	$192,146	$39,695
25	Dexter	1,745	4.7%	$182,478	$56,280
26	Mexico	1,833	2.2%	$172,305	$35,093
27	Eastport	1,211	2.8%	$234,083	$44,919
28	East Millinocket	1,541	5.2%	$149,455	$44,531
29	Randolph	1,522	5.6%	$258,495	$48,654
30	Milford	2,270	3.5%	$218,028	$59,053
31	Fryeburg	1,503	6.6%	$328,459	$41,350
32	Fort Fairfield	1,566	13.7%	$154,505	$55,625
33	Bar Harbor	2,154	10.6%	$645,259	$46,917
34	Bucksport	2,947	8.2%	$267,364	$48,942
35	Chisholm	1,074	6.3%	$180,186	$58,750
36	Fort Kent	2,515	2.8%	$192,674	$57,067
37	Livermore Falls	1,765	3.9%	$205,526	$44,864
38	Clinton	1,436	0.0%	$240,202	$71,934
39	Damariscotta	1,267	7.6%	$467,993	$53,571
40	Waldoboro	1,553	4.0%	$310,342	$54,345
41	Winterport	1,100	0.0%	$276,005	$44,205
42	Searsport	1,053	13.9%	$299,684	$59,679
43	Oakland	2,519	0.7%	$308,531	$41,499
44	South Paris	2,208	2.8%	$249,321	$42,321
45	Wiscasset	1,207	3.3%	$338,680	$102,792
46	Richmond	1,835	5.1%	$310,588	$68,030
47	Dixfield	1,512	1.9%	$196,028	$52,208
48	Thomaston	2,101	2.3%	$317,968	$54,155
49	Farmingdale	2,264	2.0%	$310,772	$58,709
50	Berwick	2,050	5.0%	$421,071	$63,199
51	Hallowell	2,558	0.9%	$341,802	$62,990
52	Kennebunkport	1,318	8.1%	$1,069,676	$113,456
53	Winthrop	2,546	6.1%	$348,947	$66,875
54	West Kennebunk	1,269	14.3%	$691,372	$90,104
55	Lisbon Falls	4,177	3.9%	$297,432	$69,013
56	Freeport	1,848	10.7%	$618,272	$76,012
57	Steep Falls	2,087	0.0%	$362,110	$85,040
58	North Berwick	1,806	0.7%	$444,597	$50,579
59	Hampden	4,466	2.3%	$321,416	$97,019
60	Lake Arrowhead	2,896	1.6%	$330,052	$80,819
61	Camden	3,644	5.2%	$627,938	$92,857
62	Cumberland Center	2,913	4.8%	$690,583	$116,891
63	Cape Neddick	2,462	6.0%	$908,354	$76,701
64	South Eliot	3,686	2.6%	$649,050	$91,457
65	Falmouth	1,620	3.8%	$797,511	$112,596
66	York Harbor	3,640	0.7%	$827,499	$89,647
67	Kittery Point	1,017	0.9%	$696,426	$121,042
68	Falmouth Foreside	2,022	2.8%	$974,523	$190,476