Compare towns
Portland vs Lewiston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
Towns like PortlandBangor
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Portland has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.3%).
Lewiston has the most affordable homes ($235k median).
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 | Portland | Lewiston |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 68,854Highest |
38,324Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+1.4%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 37.8±0.8Highest 16% below ME |
37.3±1.2Lowest 17% 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 | 15.4%±1.2Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.6%±1.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Age 65+ | 16.9%±1.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
18.3%±1.7Highest 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+ | 59.7%Highest ME: 36.2% |
22.6%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 6.7%±0.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
10.1%±1Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $79,540±$4kHighest 6% above ME |
$55,393±$4kLowest 26% below ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $489,600±$13kHighest 65% above ME |
$235,100±$8kLowest 21% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,577±$35Highest 38% above ME |
$986±$44Lowest 13% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,601Highest 84% above ME |
$2,899Lowest 5% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±3.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
51.7%±5.9Highest 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 | 11.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
20%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 46.9%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
51.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1946Lowest 31 yrs older than ME |
1957Highest 20 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 19 minLowest 21% below ME |
21 minHighest 15% below ME |
| Work from home | 24.8%±1.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #133 of 133 in ME | #132 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Portland Public Schools · Baxter Academy for Technology and Science | Lewiston Public Schools · Acadia Academy |
| High school in town | Portland High School | Lewiston High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.4Lowest |
14.7Highest |
| 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.