Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bangor grades C− overall, ranked 109th of 142 in Maine, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns and it has 53 miles of trail. On the other side, its police reported 79 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 89% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 38 places on the National Register. 53% of working residents work locally in Bangor, above both Maine’s towns (12%) and U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Symphony House and Hannibal Hamlin House. Bangor's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 88% of U.S. towns.
Where Bangor beats most towns.
Its 38 National Register listings are more than in 98% of Maine towns with a listing.
Census counts: 277 in 1800, 31,753 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1800 and 5 maps from 1902 on.
Explore the history →Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Bangor is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bangor, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Bangor.
Bangor draws workers from Brewer and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Maine rate.
Bangor’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile. Rolland F. Perry City Forest, at 720 acres with 14.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rolland F. Perry City Forest | 14.7 mi | 720 |
| 2. Walden-Parke Preserve | 7.4 mi | 499 |
| 3. Central Penjajawoc Preserve | 2.1 mi | 267 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Bangor Public Schools. Three of its 16 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| William S. Cohen SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 372 | A− |
| Bangor High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,068 | A |
| Fourteenth Street SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 153 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
35,792 jobs are based in Bangor, 2.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16.6 minutes, against 24.6 across Maine.
The average trip to work in Bangor is 17 minutes. Since 2013, Bangor has added 2,071 jobs, to 35,792 in 2023. 18% of Bangor residents live below the poverty line.
| Bangor | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 10% | 15% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Violent crime runs at 2.4 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Maine rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Each of the 4 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Brewer (B−) to Veazie (A+).
Only 4 of the 79 Maine towns we compare have a higher violent crime rate than Bangor. Bangor reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 89% report less.
| Bangor | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 38 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
47% of households own their home in Bangor. The typical Bangor home is worth about $283,000, up 0.6% in a year, 31% below the Maine typical home.
| Bangor | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,055 a month | $1,108 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bangor.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Bangor Intl Ap weather station records that about 6 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 89% of Maine places with climate records. July afternoons average 79.7°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 85% of Maine places with climate records; January nights average 9.6°.
Bangor has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 75 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Bangor | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 10°F | 10°F | 22°F |
| July high | 80°F | 79°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 8,891 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bangor’s, it is healthier than 60%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Bangor beats the Maine average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. Only 10 of the 143 Maine towns we compare have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Bangor.
| Bangor | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Bangor | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 9% | 9.9% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 9.6% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Only 47.2% of households own their home, against 74.3% across Maine.
Adults 18 to 34 are 26% of residents (20% statewide). Bangor has grown 2.4% since 2020, to 32,518 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 35% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Maine.
| Bangor | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 18% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 32% | 29% |
| Median age | 41 years | 45 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 22% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.8 points. Across Maine, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Bangor | ME | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.6% | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.1% | 8.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.8% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.4% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.7% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 15.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.6% | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.2% | 8.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.8% | 30.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.4% | 18.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.7% | 10.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.2% | 22.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.9% | 13.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bangor. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi National ParkAcadia National Park4.1M visitors a year
18 mi LandmarkFort Knoxin town MuseumUniversity of Maine Museum of Art
27 mi MuseumPenobscot Marine Museum
7 mi GardenFay Hyland Botanical PlantationAcadia National Park: Plh1234us, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Knox: Unknown, Public domain · Penobscot Marine Museum: John Smith, Public domain · Fay Hyland Botanical Plantation: Jalnet2, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Bangor
About 10 of every 100 Bangor residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
3 colleges in town.
38 places in Bangor on the National Register of Historic Places.
41 notable people were born in Bangor.
City in Maine, United States
Bangor ( BANG-gor) is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's third-most populous city, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121). Bangor is known as the "Queen City". Modern Bangor was established in the mid-19th century with the lumber and shipbuilding industries. Due to the city's location on the Penobscot River, logs could be floated downstream from the Maine North Woods and processed at the city's water-powered sawmills, then shipped from Bangor's port to the Atlantic Ocean 30 miles (48 km) downstream, and from there to any port in the world. Evidence of this is still visible in the …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Bangor.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Brewer (C) is closest.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangor | #109 | C− | C− | D | B+ | C+ |
| Brewer | #101 | C | C− | B− | B | C |
| Veazie | — | — | C− | A+ | A | B− |
| Orono | – | A | D | A+ | A− | B+ |
| Hermon | #84 | C+ | C− | — | B | B− |
| Hampden | #16 | A− | C | A | A− | A− |
Veazie has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Hermon reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Bangor with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bangor grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #109 of 142 in Maine. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
41 notable people were born here, including William Cohen and Joe Hill.
