The Safest and Most Dangerous Cities In Maine - 2018 Ranking!
Maine is well known for its beautiful landscape, which consists of rocky coastline, breathtaking scenery, and snowy winters. It also boasts of more forest land than any other state in the country; as forests cover almost 90% of its land area, earning it its nickname, the "Pine Tree State".
You're lucky to live here if you love the cold weather because Maine gets a lot of snow in the wintertime. Despite the shorter warm season, there is a ton of activities to do in Maine all year-round, including skiing and snowboarding.
When it comes to food, seafood is the local specialty, clams, and lobster to be specific, which are exported everywhere. The Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland is actually one of the most anticipated events of the summer season. It’s got several days of fun with music performances, a cooking contest, a parade and, of course, more lobster than you could ever imagine.
If you are considering moving to Maine or you already live there, make sure to continue reading to find out how safe Maine is compared to other states, and learn about its safest cities based on the most recent FBI crime report.
Ranking as the 2nd safest state in the country, Maine is one of the smaller and least populated states, with nearly 1.3 million residents only. It boasts of an impressively low crime rate overall, making the state home to some of the safest cities in the country.
When it comes to safe and dangerous cities, Cumberland, the city proud of its low crime levels is the safest in the state, with a 319.7 crime rate per 100,000 people.
The 2nd most populated city in Maine, Lewiston, fell in between the charts at #31, safe-wise.
On the other hand, Bangor, which is the 3rd most populated city in the state, is also the 2nd most dangerous city in Maine, preceded only by Skowhegan. As for the capital Augusta, which previously ranked as the most dangerous city in the state, it is now the 5th most dangerous, meaning that crime levels are decreasing in the capital.
Portland, the most populated city in Maine is the 10th most dangerous, with a 2970 crime rate per 100,000 people, while Rockland ranked #20 with a 2214 crime rate per 100,000 people.
Find out if your city is one of the safest in the state, then review our resources for crime prevention tips and home security information.
More Information About Maine
Capital: Augusta
Number of Counties: 16
Overall Population: 1.331 million inhabitants
Land Area: 35,385 square miles
Education Statistics: 29.3% of the population holds a bachelor's degree or higher, (percent of persons age 25 years+, 2011-2015)
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Crime Stats In Maine
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants: 123.8
Property Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants: 1,645.7
Maine’s Safety Rank: #2
Disclaimer:
In creating this ranking, we excluded all cities with population less than 5,000 residents as well as any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI.
Table 1: Top 20 Safest Cities In Maine
| Rank |
City |
Population |
Total Crime Rate
Per 100,000 Inhabitants |
| 1 |
Cumberland
Previous rank: 1 |
7821 |
320.0 |
| 2 |
Cape Elizabeth
Previous rank: 7 |
9364 |
577.0 |
| 3 |
South Berwick
Previous rank: 5 |
7454 |
792.0 |
| 4 |
Sabattus
Previous rank: 11 |
5038 |
834.0 |
| 5 |
Yarmouth
Previous rank: 6 |
8584 |
850.0 |
| 6 |
Hampden
Previous rank: 4 |
7414 |
971.0 |
| 7 |
Buxton
Previous rank: 15 |
8171 |
1003.0 |
| 8 |
Berwick
Previous rank: 19 |
7567 |
1018.0 |
| 9 |
Winthrop
Previous rank: 29 |
5888 |
1104.0 |
| 10 |
Oakland
Previous rank: 16 |
6119 |
1144.0 |
| 11 |
Lisbon
Previous rank: 21 |
8823 |
1156.0 |
| 12 |
Topsham
Previous rank: 18 |
8748 |
1166.0 |
| 13 |
Orono
Previous rank: Not Ranked |
10772 |
38.0 |
| 14 |
Gorham
Previous rank: 8 |
17346 |
1239.0 |
| 15 |
Wells
Previous rank: 10 |
10174 |
1249.0 |
| 16 |
Winslow
Previous rank: 12 |
7506 |
1253.0 |
| 17 |
York
Previous rank: 14 |
12927 |
1253.0 |
| 18 |
Falmouth
Previous rank: 9 |
12154 |
1276.0 |
| 19 |
Farmington
Previous rank: Not Ranked |
7401 |
82.0 |
| 20 |
Windham
Previous rank: 25 |
17983 |
1580.0 |
Table 2: Top 20 Most Dangerous Cities In Maine
| Rank |
City |
Population |
Total Crime Rate
Per 100,000 Inhabitants |
| 1 |
Skowhegan
Previous rank: 3 |
8454 |
4661.0 |
| 2 |
Bangor
Previous rank: 6 |
32264 |
4385.0 |
| 3 |
Rumford
Previous rank: 4 |
5646 |
4339.0 |
| 4 |
Waterville
Previous rank: 5 |
16370 |
4282.0 |
| 5 |
Augusta
Previous rank: 1 |
18347 |
4099.0 |
| 6 |
Sanford
Previous rank: Not Ranked |
20914 |
280.0 |
| 7 |
Auburn
Previous rank: 15 |
22836 |
3385.0 |
| 8 |
Ellsworth
Previous rank: 7 |
7881 |
3147.0 |
| 9 |
Presque Isle
Previous rank: 17 |
9075 |
3020.0 |
| 10 |
Portland
Previous rank: 13 |
67041 |
2969.0 |
| 11 |
Old Orchard Beach
Previous rank: 16 |
8807 |
2736.0 |
| 12 |
Westbrook
Previous rank: 19 |
18078 |
2699.0 |
| 13 |
Houlton
Previous rank: 11 |
5835 |
2656.0 |
| 14 |
Bath
Previous rank: 22 |
8269 |
2613.0 |
| 15 |
South Portland
Previous rank: 20 |
25674 |
2492.0 |
| 16 |
Gardiner
Previous rank: Not Ranked |
5558 |
56.0 |
| 17 |
Freeport
Previous rank: 30 |
8407 |
2296.0 |
| 18 |
Fairfield
Previous rank: 10 |
6505 |
2245.0 |
| 19 |
Brewer
Previous rank: 23 |
9185 |
2243.0 |
| 20 |
Rockland
Previous rank: 18 |
7227 |
2214.0 |
Table 3: All Cities, Ranked By Population
| City |
Population |
Total Crime Rate
Per 100,000 Inhabitants |
Safety Rank |
| Portland |
67041 |
2969.0 |
42 |
| Lewiston |
36126 |
2164.0 |
31 |
| Bangor |
32264 |
4385.0 |
50 |
| South Portland |
25674 |
2492.0 |
37 |
| Auburn |
22836 |
3385.0 |
45 |
| Sanford |
20914 |
280.0 |
46 |
| Brunswick |
20544 |
1816.0 |
24 |
| Scarborough |
19851 |
2055.0 |
29 |
| Saco |
19197 |
1979.0 |
27 |
| Augusta |
18347 |
4099.0 |
47 |
| Westbrook |
18078 |
2699.0 |
40 |
| Windham |
17983 |
1580.0 |
20 |
| Gorham |
17346 |
1239.0 |
14 |
| Waterville |
16370 |
4282.0 |
48 |
| York |
12927 |
1253.0 |
17 |
| Falmouth |
12154 |
1276.0 |
18 |
| Orono |
10772 |
38.0 |
13 |
| Wells |
10174 |
1249.0 |
15 |
| Kittery |
9686 |
1590.0 |
21 |
| Cape Elizabeth |
9364 |
577.0 |
2 |
| Brewer |
9185 |
2243.0 |
33 |
| Presque Isle |
9075 |
3020.0 |
43 |
| Lisbon |
8823 |
1156.0 |
11 |
| Old Orchard Beach |
8807 |
2736.0 |
41 |
| Topsham |
8748 |
1166.0 |
12 |
| Yarmouth |
8584 |
850.0 |
5 |
| Skowhegan |
8454 |
4661.0 |
51 |
| Freeport |
8407 |
2296.0 |
35 |
| Bath |
8269 |
2613.0 |
38 |
| Buxton |
8171 |
1003.0 |
7 |
| Ellsworth |
7881 |
3147.0 |
44 |
| Cumberland |
7821 |
320.0 |
1 |
| Caribou |
7747 |
1729.0 |
22 |
| Old Town |
7583 |
1767.0 |
23 |
| Berwick |
7567 |
1018.0 |
8 |
| Winslow |
7506 |
1253.0 |
16 |
| South Berwick |
7454 |
792.0 |
3 |
| Hampden |
7414 |
971.0 |
6 |
| Farmington |
7401 |
82.0 |
19 |
| Rockland |
7227 |
2214.0 |
32 |
| Belfast |
6685 |
1930.0 |
26 |
| Fairfield |
6505 |
2245.0 |
34 |
| Oakland |
6119 |
1144.0 |
10 |
| Winthrop |
5888 |
1104.0 |
9 |
| Houlton |
5835 |
2656.0 |
39 |
| Rumford |
5646 |
4339.0 |
49 |
| Gardiner |
5558 |
56.0 |
36 |
| Bridgton |
5405 |
2035.0 |
28 |
| Paris |
5085 |
1908.0 |
25 |
| Sabattus |
5038 |
834.0 |
4 |
| Lincoln |
5020 |
2152.0 |
30 |
