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10 Safest Cities in Maine (2024 Update)
Pete Ortiz
Last updated:
Note: This article’s statistics come from third-party sources and do not represent the opinions of this website.
If you are moving to Maine or already a resident of the state, you may wonder how safe different parts of the state are. Overall, Maine is a relatively safe state, mainly because of its affluent and rural communities. Still, there is crime in Maine, and some cities are safer than others. Keep reading to learn about the 10 safest cities in Maine and how to stay safe when visiting the Pine Tree State.
Cumberland continues to be the safest city in Maine. Its crime rate is 228.8 times lower than the national average. Plus, the crime rate keeps falling over the years, showing that Cumberland is becoming an even safer area.
The vast majority of crimes in Cumberland are property-related. In contrast, there are very few violent crimes, and the entire city only has three registered sex offenders, further showing how safe the city is. Of the property crimes, most are thefts. The rest of the crimes are primarily auto thefts and burglaries.
Luckily for Cumberland residents, they don’t have as much to worry about vandalism or theft if they install security devices. As a result, this is the safest city to live in Maine.
The second safest city in Maine is Sabattus. It is in the 88th percentile regarding safety compared to the entire nation. That means that Sabattus is safer than 88% of the other cities in the nation, whereas 12% of other cities are safer.
The safest place to live within the city is in the northern neighborhoods. There, your chances of becoming a victim are only 1 in 110. However, you are more likely to become a victim of a crime in the western sections. The chances there are 1 in 62.
Whenever crimes occur, most of them are property-related. There aren’t many violent crimes, but there are slightly more violent crimes than in Cumberland. Still, the city is incredibly safe.
3. Cape Elizabeth, ME
Image Credit: NorthAmericanStories, Pixabay
Population:
8,295
Average Household Income:
$52,385
Poverty Rate:
8.5%
Violent Crime Rate in 2021:
7.4
Cape Elizabeth is another safe city in Maine with a low violent crime rate of just 7.4, making it lower than our top pick. At the same time, it has a much higher property crime rate, which is 18.2. This explains why Cape Elizabeth is not our top city.
If you are most concerned about violent crimes, however, the crime rate is low, making Cape Elizabeth one of the best cities you can move to. It is an incredibly safe city with beautiful views and a comfortable atmosphere.
Because of its high property crime rate, it’s essential to put your best foot forward to protect your home, vehicles, and other properties. You can invest in security measures to help deter thieves and be cautious when going out on the town.
Next up on our list is Yarmouth. Yarmouth is a coastal city that is just slightly north of Portland. Although Portland is one of the more dangerous cities in Maine, Yarmouth is one of the safest.
The violent crime rate in this affluent community is just 9.5, which is much better than the national average. The property crime rate is also lower than the national average; it is just 15.3. Yarmouth is so safe that it is often ranked in the 95th percentile or above in terms of safety compared to others.
Hampden is one of the smaller towns on our list. This quaint town has a population of over 7,000 but a low crime rate of 8.8. Its property crime is a bit higher than its violent crime, much like other areas in the state. Its property crime is 19.9.
In Hampden, a crime occurs only once every 4 days and 3 hours on average. The safest place to live in the entire city is in the southeast. However, no matter where you live, you are still living in one of the safest cities in the nation, not just in Maine.
Due to the city’s design, you’re most likely to be a victim of a crime around the parks. Even though the city tries to protect the parks, there’s a higher crime rate, primarily because many people frequent them, but very few live in the area.
Here we have another small city in Maine, but it has slightly higher crime rates than the cities we’ve looked at above. The violent crime rate in this city is at 11.4, which is still much lower than the national average.
Something else to know about South Berwick is that the crime rates in the city continue to fall. Both violent crime and property crime have been decreasing by dramatic percentages ever since 2015.
South Berwick is a good place to move to if you are looking for a city that continues to improve its crime rate, which is already low. Something else to note is that South Berwick has one of the lowest numbers of sex offenders, with three registered offenders.
By glancing at the statistics above, Belfast ranks surprisingly low on our list, considering its 9.4 violent crime rate. After all, South Berwick has a higher violent crime rate, yet it ranks above Belfast.
Although Belfast has a lower violent crime rate, it has a high property crime rate compared to Maine overall. The Belfast property crime rate is 34.6, almost identical to the US average (35.4), and it is the highest on our list.
It is important to note that both crime rates have been decreasing in Belfast over the years. This shows that the community is at least trying to decrease the high property crime rate. The city has a very low violent crime rate, which is a significant feat.
8. Kennebunk, ME
Image Credit: 12019, Pixabay
Population:
5,579
Average Household Income:
$68,082
Poverty Rate:
8.6%
Violent Crime Rate in 2021:
8.4
Kennebunk has been one of the safest cities in Maine for many years. Although it hasn’t quite topped the list before, it has consistently been a safe city and remains one. On average, a crime occurs only once every 2 days and 10 hours in the city.
In addition to being very safe, Kennebunk is often ranked as one of the most livable cities in the state, and living in Kennebunk is relatively affordable and convenient.
One reason Kennebunk is so safe is because it has a more affluent community. With the average household income well over the average nation’s income, the city is relatively well off, resulting in more safety measures against violent crimes.
If you are a fan of cities, you might have been disappointed that nearly all the cities on our list so far are relatively small communities. Although Gorham is far from a large metropolis, it is notably larger than the other cities on this list and is still pretty safe.
Gorham only has a violent crime rate of 9.4. The crime rates are lower than the national average, which means you only have a one in 212 chance of being the victim of any type of crime in the city.
If you want to move to the safest part of the city, the southwest part is the safest. In comparison, the western neighborhoods tend to be the most dangerous.
10. Bar Harbor, ME
Image Credit: MOHANN, Pixabay
Population:
5,535
Average Household Income:
$66,591
Poverty Rate:
9.8%
Violent Crime Rate in 2021:
10
Finally, the last city on our list is Bar Harbor, Maine. Bar Harbor is a tiny community of just 5,500. It has relatively high violent and property crime rates compared to the other Maine cities on this list, which is why it is number 10. However, both rates are much lower than US averages.
The Bar Harbor violent crime rate is 10, and the US average is 22.7. As for the property crime, the Bar Harbor rate is 24.1. These rates show that Bar Harbor is more dangerous than the other cities on this list, but it is far from being a dangerous city. The safest place to live in Bar Harbor is in the northern area. In contrast, most crimes happen in the southern parts of the town.
How to Stay Safe in Maine
As we saw above, most of the cities in Maine do not have high violent crime rates. There are only, on average, 13 crimes for every 1,000 residents in the state. Not to mention, crime rates for the entire state have been falling by huge percentages, as much as 50%, over the last few years.
As a result, it’s more important to protect your property when considering Maine crime rate statistics. In other words, since you are more likely to be a victim of a property crime in Maine, you want to have resources and tools to deter thieves or catch them in the act.
For example, having security around your home decreases your chance of being a victim of property crime in Maine by nearly 300%. This is a whopping number that just proves how necessary security measures are for defending against property crime.
Investing in security measures, taking the time to make sure all doors and windows are locked, and ensuring your property is well-lit at night can decrease your chances of being a victim of a Maine crime dramatically.
Conclusion
If you are moving to Maine, you’ll appreciate that the state is relatively safe, but the ten cities mentioned above are the safest. You’re more likely to be victims of property crime than violent crime, which is even better news.
To protect yourself from crime, invest in security measures and be smart whenever you leave your house. By taking a few simple steps to protect yourself and your property, you can lower the chances of being a victim of crime dramatically.
Pete has been working in the trades since high school, where he first developed a passion for woodworking. Over the years, he has developed a keen interest in a wide variety of DIY projects around the home. Fascinated by all sort of tools, Pete loves reading and writing about all the latest gadgets and accessories that hit the market. His other interests include astronomy, hiking, and fishing.
As the founder of House Grail, Pete's primary goal is to help consumers make educated decisions about DIY projects at home, in the garage, and in the garden.
