Benton ranks #9 in Maine for low property taxes
Benton is ranked on 35 lists against the 144 Maine towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 3.
The lists Benton does best on
Each list ranks every ME town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Benton marked.
Benton lands in the top half on 4 of 21 lists
Each dot is Benton’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in ME, the right end is last. Areas where Benton does best come first.
Drier than 91% of Maine
Not better or worse, just Benton’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Benton out-ranks 2 of its 3 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 Benton 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.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Millinocket · 1.4 yrs
#23
Cheapest rent#1 Waldoboro · $348/mo
#68
C
Lowest property tax#1 Corinth · $1,381/yr
#9
Rent easiest to afford#1 Biddeford · 37.2%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Houlton · 10.4 min
#24 Health
Healthiest#1 Cape Elizabeth · 98 / 100
#109
Lowest obesity#1 Falmouth · 24%
#61
Fewest smokers#1 Cape Elizabeth · 7%
#82
Most active#1 Cape Elizabeth · 14%
#110
Fewest uninsured#1 Cape Elizabeth · 4%
#102
Lowest depression#1 Cape Elizabeth · 23%
#101
Closest to a top hospital#1 Augusta · 1.3 mi
#97 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Acton · 51.2%
#112
Most new homes#1 Bethel · 19.2 per 1,000
#88
L
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Lincoln · +112.0%
#19
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Sanford · 39.7 per home
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Milford · 54%
#96
Most trails#1 Falmouth · 2.9 mi / sq mi
#139
Most walkable#1 South Portland · 70.0 / sq mi
#134 People
Most educated#1 Cape Elizabeth · 74.1%
#125
Youngest#1 Orono · 21.8
#53
Oldest#1 Harpswell · 62.0
#92
Most residents 65+#1 Bristol · 42.8%
#78
Most kids#1 Jefferson · 28%
#47 Climate
Snowiest#1 Caribou · 118 in
#19
Least snow#1 Berwick · 39 in
#119
Mildest winters#1 Kittery · 16.2°
#102
Hottest summers#1 South Berwick · 81.7°
#60
Coolest summers#1 St. George · 74.0°
#95
Longest growing season#1 St. George · 178 days
#58
Wettest#1 Rumford · 52 in
#130 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Camden · 37.4 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Camden · 20.5 per resident
Best libraries for kids#1 Camden · 39.3 per child
Safety
R Safest#1 Richmond · 1.3The number on the right is Benton’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.