How Carmel compares across Maine
Carmel is ranked on 35 lists against the 144 Maine towns with 2,500+ residents.
More year-round than 92% of Maine
Not better or worse, just Carmel’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Carmel out-ranks 0 of its 1 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.
Carmel lands in the top half on 6 of 23 lists
Each dot is Carmel’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in ME, the right end is last. Areas where Carmel does best come first.
The lists Carmel does best on
Each list ranks every ME town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Carmel marked.
Where Carmel 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
#56
Cheapest rent#1 Waldoboro · $348/mo
#96
C
Lowest property tax#1 Corinth · $1,381/yr
#55
Rent easiest to afford#1 Biddeford · 37.2%
Health
Healthiest#1 Cape Elizabeth · 98 / 100
#106
Lowest obesity#1 Falmouth · 24%
#129
Fewest smokers#1 Cape Elizabeth · 7%
#102
Most active#1 Cape Elizabeth · 14%
#102
Fewest uninsured#1 Cape Elizabeth · 4%
#61
Lowest depression#1 Cape Elizabeth · 23%
#101
Closest to a top hospital#1 Augusta · 1.3 mi
#60 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Houlton · 10.4 min
#70 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Acton · 51.2%
#131
Most new homes#1 Bethel · 19.2 per 1,000
#77
L
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Lincoln · +112.0%
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Sanford · 39.7 per home
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Camden · 37.4 per resident
#78
Most library borrowing#1 Camden · 20.5 per resident
#87
Best libraries for kids#1 Camden · 39.3 per child
#79 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Milford · 54%
#121
Most trails#1 Falmouth · 2.9 mi / sq mi
#141
Most walkable#1 South Portland · 70.0 / sq mi
#130 People
Most educated#1 Cape Elizabeth · 74.1%
#136
Youngest#1 Orono · 21.8
#84
Oldest#1 Harpswell · 62.0
#62
Most residents 65+#1 Bristol · 42.8%
#124
Most kids#1 Jefferson · 28%
#66 Climate
Snowiest#1 Caribou · 118 in
#60
Least snow#1 Berwick · 39 in
#69
Mildest winters#1 Kittery · 16.2°
#113
Hottest summers#1 South Berwick · 81.7°
#63
Coolest summers#1 St. George · 74.0°
#81
Longest growing season#1 St. George · 178 days
#77
Wettest#1 Rumford · 52 in
#127 Safety
R Safest#1 Richmond · 1.3The number on the right is Carmel’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.