Amherst ME, 2012
Amherst’s story
193 years in pictures
Census counts: 196 in 1840, a peak of 400 in 1880, 248 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 3 maps from 1932 on.
- 1833Amherst is settled
AmherstME
3 bordering townsMap →
Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
265
2025 Census estimate · +6.9% since 2020
Typical home
$210K
−1.7% in a year
Household income
$73K
median
Median age
50.9
years
Jobs based here
25
A commuter town
Is Amherst a good place to live?
Of the 144 Maine towns we compare, none has a higher share of households owning their home than Amherst. Amherst Mountains Community Forest, at 5,029 acres with 11.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Amherst has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Amherst stand out
Where Amherst beats most towns.
Small town
265 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
AuroraBradleyMariavilleAmherst
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Amherst: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Amherst, and how to reach them.
PowerVersant Power30.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet4 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Amherst’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Maine you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereAmherst Registrar of VotersThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2026
ZIP code0460504605 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Amherst.
Housing
Homes in Amherst are worth about $210K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Amherst home is worth about $210,000, down 1.7% in a year, 49% below the Maine typical home.
$210KZillow home value
Typical home value
Amherst$210K
Maine$412K
−1.7%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commute
Compared with most of Maine and the rest of the country, fewer of Amherst’s working residents work locally
1.9% of working residents work locally in Amherst, where Maine’s towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 8%. 6.1% of residents live below the poverty line in Amherst. The top destinations are Ellsworth (26%), Bangor (11%) and Bar Harbor (8%).
2%work in town
| Amherst | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 12% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.1% | 9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Amherst2%
Ellsworth26%
Bangor11%
Bar Harbor8%
Augusta7%
22 mi
median commute distance
25
jobs based in Amherst
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
22%conserved
22%
conserved · 5,538 of 25,195 acres
21 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Amherst Mountains Community Forest | 11.9 mi | 5,029 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Amherst has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Amherst has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Amherst’s July high is 79°F.
75″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter13–31°
Spring31–52°
Summer54–77°
Fall38–57°
Oct 6
typical first frost
May 1
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Fewer young adults than Maine overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (20% statewide). The median age in Amherst is 50.9 years. Amherst has grown 6.9% since 2020, to 265 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
50.9median age · ME 44.8
| Amherst | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 50.9 years | 44.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 22% | 18% |
AmherstMaineUnited States
Ages · share of residents
21%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma2%
High school36%
Some college25%
Associate’s6%
Bachelor’s14%
Graduate17%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6 points. Across Maine, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Amherst | ME | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.2% | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.2% | 8.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 1.7% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.8% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.1% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.8% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 21% | 15.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18.2% | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.1% | 8.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.5% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.8% | 30.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.1% | 18.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.3% | 10.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14% | 22.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.3% | 13.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points
Natural hazards
Amherst stands out in Maine and nationally: the FEMA risk score there is higher
Only 3 of the 144 Maine towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than Amherst.
63risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesDrought
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Amherst is
Amherst beats the Maine average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 30% of Amherst adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Amherst | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 81% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 23% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Maine
1 better31 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Amherst | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.9% | 14.8% |
Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center
17.6 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Amherst
17pages on Amherst
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Amherst
About 4 of every 100 Amherst residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Amherst for work
Where Amherst’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
25jobs based in Amherst
2%of working residents work in town
22 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Amherst
Town in Maine, United States
Amherst is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 248 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 40 sq mi
- Elevation
- 581 ft
- Area code
- 207
Questions about Amherst
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Amherst, ME a good place to live?
Amherst has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.