Compare towns
Lewiston vs Portland
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Lewiston has the most affordable homes ($235k median).
Portland has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.3%).
What matters to you?
Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.
| Measure | Lewiston | Portland |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 38,324Lowest |
68,854Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +1.4%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+3.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 37.3±1.2Lowest 17% below ME |
37.8±0.8Highest 16% below ME |
| Portland and Lewiston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Kids under 18 | 20.6%±1.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.4%±1.2Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Age 65+ | 18.3%±1.7Highest ME: 22.4% |
16.9%±1.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Lewiston and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 22.6%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
59.7%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 10.1%±1Highest ME: 5.8% |
6.7%±0.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $55,393±$4kLowest 26% below ME |
$79,540±$4kHighest 6% above ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $235,100±$8kLowest 21% below ME |
$489,600±$13kHighest 65% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $986±$44Lowest 13% below ME |
$1,577±$35Highest 38% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,899Lowest 5% below ME |
$5,601Highest 84% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.7%±5.9Highest ME: 48.4% |
51.3%±3.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Lewiston and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 20%Highest ME: 10.7% |
11.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 51.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
46.9%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1957Highest 20 yrs older than ME |
1946Lowest 31 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 21 minHighest 15% below ME |
19 minLowest 21% below ME |
| Work from home | 12.3%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
24.8%±1.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #132 of 133 in ME | #133 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Lewiston Public Schools · Acadia Academy | Portland Public Schools · Baxter Academy for Technology and Science |
| High school in town | Lewiston High School | Portland High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.7Highest |
14.4Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | ||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet |
ME average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.