Acton ranks #20 in Maine for growth
Acton is ranked on 35 lists against the 144 Maine towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 3.
More vacation homes than 100% of Maine
Not better or worse, just Acton’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Acton does best on
Each list ranks every ME town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Acton marked.
Acton lands in the top half on 13 of 22 lists
Each dot is Acton’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in ME, the right end is last. Areas where Acton does best come first.
1 spot from the top 25 for low depression
Lists where Acton sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Acton out-ranks 3 of its 4 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Acton lands in every ME ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
Healthiest#1 Cape Elizabeth · 98 / 100
#62
Lowest obesity#1 Falmouth · 24%
#78
Fewest smokers#1 Cape Elizabeth · 7%
#60
Most active#1 Cape Elizabeth · 14%
#50
Fewest uninsured#1 Cape Elizabeth · 4%
#27
Lowest depression#1 Cape Elizabeth · 23%
#26
Closest to a top hospital#1 Augusta · 1.3 mi
#68 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Acton · 51.2%
#1
Most new homes#1 Bethel · 19.2 per 1,000
#44
L
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Lincoln · +112.0%
#106
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Sanford · 39.7 per home
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Millinocket · 1.4 yrs
#94
Cheapest rent#1 Waldoboro · $348/mo
C
Lowest property tax#1 Corinth · $1,381/yr
#57
Rent easiest to afford#1 Biddeford · 37.2%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Milford · 54%
#92
Most trails#1 Falmouth · 2.9 mi / sq mi
#64
Most walkable#1 South Portland · 70.0 / sq mi
#100 People
Most educated#1 Cape Elizabeth · 74.1%
#111
Youngest#1 Orono · 21.8
#128
Oldest#1 Harpswell · 62.0
#17
Most residents 65+#1 Bristol · 42.8%
#34
Most kids#1 Jefferson · 28%
#131 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Camden · 37.4 per resident
#81
Most library borrowing#1 Camden · 20.5 per resident
#90
Best libraries for kids#1 Camden · 39.3 per child
#85 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Houlton · 10.4 min
#143 Climate
Snowiest#1 Caribou · 118 in
#36
Least snow#1 Berwick · 39 in
#100
Mildest winters#1 Kittery · 16.2°
#47
Hottest summers#1 South Berwick · 81.7°
#22
Coolest summers#1 St. George · 74.0°
#122
Longest growing season#1 St. George · 178 days
#126
Wettest#1 Rumford · 52 in
#7 Safety
R Safest#1 Richmond · 1.3The number on the right is Acton’s spot. All of Maine’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every ME list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.