Bowdoin ranks #28 in Maine for public schools
Bowdoin is ranked on 32 lists against the 144 Maine towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 2.
More year-round than 98% of Maine
Not better or worse, just Bowdoin’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Bowdoin does best on
Each list ranks every ME town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Bowdoin marked.
Bowdoin lands in the top half on 9 of 20 lists
Each dot is Bowdoin’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in ME, the right end is last. Areas where Bowdoin does best come first.
3 spots from the top 25 for public schools
Lists where Bowdoin sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Bowdoin out-ranks 2 of its 5 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 Bowdoin 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
#57
Lowest obesity#1 Falmouth · 24%
#36
Fewest smokers#1 Cape Elizabeth · 7%
#82
Most active#1 Cape Elizabeth · 14%
#50
Fewest uninsured#1 Cape Elizabeth · 4%
#61
Lowest depression#1 Cape Elizabeth · 23%
#101
Closest to a top hospital#1 Augusta · 1.3 mi
#55 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Milford · 54%
#49
Most trails#1 Falmouth · 2.9 mi / sq mi
#92
Most walkable#1 South Portland · 70.0 / sq mi
#141 
People
Most educated#1 Cape Elizabeth · 74.1%
#80
Youngest#1 Orono · 21.8
#69
Oldest#1 Harpswell · 62.0
#76
Most residents 65+#1 Bristol · 42.8%
#139
Most kids#1 Jefferson · 28%
#59 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Millinocket · 1.4 yrs
#76
Cheapest rent#1 Waldoboro · $348/mo
C
Lowest property tax#1 Corinth · $1,381/yr
#98
Rent easiest to afford#1 Biddeford · 37.2%
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Acton · 51.2%
#140
Most new homes#1 Bethel · 19.2 per 1,000
#106
L
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Lincoln · +112.0%
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Sanford · 39.7 per home
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Houlton · 10.4 min
#126 Climate
Snowiest#1 Caribou · 118 in
#79
Least snow#1 Berwick · 39 in
#61
Mildest winters#1 Kittery · 16.2°
#63
Hottest summers#1 South Berwick · 81.7°
#87
Coolest summers#1 St. George · 74.0°
#55
Longest growing season#1 St. George · 178 days
#99
Wettest#1 Rumford · 52 in
#57 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 Bowdoin’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.