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Portland, Maine

Portland is a small city of about 70,000 people in Cumberland County, Maine. It's the county seat. It has grown about 2% since 2020. A typical home costs about 6.2 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Boston, is about 99 miles away as the crow flies.

County seatSmall city

Population
69,911
up 2.1% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$489,600
Cumberland County prices up 22% since 2022
Household income
$79,540
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Portland area
101.9
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
4 miles
Portland, ME
To Boston
99 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 1.9% above the U.S. average in the Portland-South Portland metro area.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 6.2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhood170 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 2.4 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 19.2 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
  • Schools in town18 public schools: 11 elementary, 3 middle and 4 high schools.
  • A hospital close byNorthern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland, about 4 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityBoston is about 99 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Portland meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$489,600U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 22%Cumberland County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$1,577 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$79,540U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
47%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$5,601 a yearMaine: $3,036
Homes built before 1940
46%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
6%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
5%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
101.9U.S. average = 100 (the Portland-South Portland metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 22% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Portland-South Portland metro area, not Portland alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
69,9112020: 68,487
Median age
37.8 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
17%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
15%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
60%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
9%U.S.: 6%
College students
7%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Schools, health care and social services (28%); professional and business services (17%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (10%)
Unemployment rate
4%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
19 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
25%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
11%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Northern Light Mercy Hospital, Portland, ME, about 4 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

18 public schools in Portland, run by Portland Public Schools and South Portland Public Schools.

Colleges in or next to town: Southern Maine Community College (5,000 to 9,999 students); University of Southern Maine (5,000 to 9,999 students); Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts (under 1,000 students); Maine College of Art & Design (under 1,000 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Maine's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
83%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
92%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
16°F
July average high
80°F
Days 90°F or hotter
5 a year
Nights at or below freezing
144 a year
Rain and melted snow
48.1 inches a year
Snow
69 inches a year
Elevation
0 feet

Weather station: Portland Intl Jetport (6 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Northern Light Mercy Hospital, Haverhill, Boston.

Cumberland County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

96 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Gen. Neal Dow House, McLellan-Sweat Mansion, Morse-Libby Mansion and Portland Observatory. Three are National Historic Landmarks, the country's highest honor for a historic place.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

  • Frances Perkins National Monument40 miles

Campus life. Check University of Southern Maine's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Portland's history on Wikipedia.

Know Portland?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • Long Island, ME235 people, 3 miles
  • Chebeague Island, ME398 people, 9 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.