Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 453, settled in 1902.
30% of residents are 65 or older in Beals, above both Maine’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (18%). Only 2 of the 144 Maine towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Beals. The biggest place to walk is Great Wass Island Preserve, 1,449 acres with 4.1 miles of trail. Beals has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 55 in 1830, a peak of 695 in 1980, 443 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 4 maps from 1921 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Beals, 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 Beals.
Most working residents leave Beals for work: only 3% work in town. Beals’ average trip to work is 21 minutes, below both the Maine town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in Beals grew to 106 in 2023, 40 more than in 2013.
| Beals | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Beals Public Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beals Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 48 | D |
NCES · EDFacts
Beals has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Beals’ July high is 76°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median age in Beals is 48 years. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Maine. 18% never finished high school.
| Beals | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 48 years | 44.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 32% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.8 points. Across Maine, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Beals | ME | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.1% | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3% | 8.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.8% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.6% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.9% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.2% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.3% | 15.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 21.5% | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.6% | 8.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 18% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.1% | 30.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 9% | 18.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.3% | 10.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.8% | 22.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.8% | 13.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 500, single groups can be off by several points
43% of adults have high blood pressure in Beals. Among 144 Maine towns, just 8 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Beals. 39% of adults have obesity in Beals.
| Beals | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 35% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 23% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | Beals | ME |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.1% | 14.8% |
| More adults who get no exercise | 31.7% | 23.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 11% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Beals | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.2% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Great Wass Island Preserve | 4.1 mi | 1,449 |
| 2. Seaduck Point Preserve | 1.1 mi | 173 |
| 3. Beals Town Park | — | 42 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Beals; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Beals residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maine.
Where Beals’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Maine, United States
Beals is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States, located on an island opposite Jonesport. The town was named after Manwarren Beal, an early settler. The population was 443 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Beals has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.