Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Belfast grades B− overall, 66th of 142 graded towns in Maine, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 82% of U.S. towns and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 83% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $395K, 5.4 years of the county’s $73K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 12 places on the National Register. 39% of residents are 65 or older in Belfast, above both Maine’s towns (21%) and U.S. towns (18%). Only 4 of Maine’s 285 towns score higher on history. The biggest place to walk is Head of Tide Preserve, 91 acres with 1.7 miles of trail.
Where Belfast beats most towns.
Census counts: 245 in 1790, 6,938 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1855 and 3 maps from 1941 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Belfast is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Belfast, 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 Belfast.
Belfast draws workers from Searsport and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by Maine’s.
6,094 jobs are based in Belfast, 2.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
46% of Belfast’s working residents work right in town. 16% of Belfast residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Bangor (4%), Camden (3%) and Augusta (3%).
| Belfast | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 46% | 12% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by RSU 71. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Belfast Area High School, with 476 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Troy A Howard Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 330 | C |
| Belfast Area High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 476 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
At 7.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 68% of Maine’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
Belfast’s violent crime rate is 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Belfast | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.4 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The median age in Belfast is 60.6 years. People 65 and older are 39% of residents (22% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 10% of residents (20% statewide). 14% of residents are under 18 in Belfast.
| Belfast | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 60.6 years | 44.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 14% | 18% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 32% | 29% |
56% women, 44% men
About 80 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.4 points). Across Maine, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Belfast | ME | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.6% | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.6% | 8.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.3% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.1% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.3% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.9% | 15.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 26% | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13% | 8.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.4% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26% | 30.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.6% | 18.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.2% | 10.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.5% | 22.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.4% | 13.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 75% of U.S. communities. Since 2009, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Belfast.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Belfast | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.7% | 4.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Head of Tide Preserve | 1.7 mi | 91 |
| 2. Stover Preserve | 0.7 mi | 45 |
| 3. Stephenson Preserve | 0.3 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
July afternoons average 76.3°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 11.6°.
Belfast has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Only 10 of the 143 Maine towns we compare have a lower July high than Belfast. About 72 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Belfast | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 76°F | 79°F | 85°F |
| January low | 12°F | 10°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 10,296 U.S. towns with household incomes like Belfast’s, it is healthier than 73%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Belfast beats the Maine average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. Among 143 Maine towns, just 8 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Belfast.
| Belfast | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 81% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Belfast | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13% | 15.5% |
| More adults seeing a dentist | 68.7% | 63.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.1% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Typical home values rose 5.6% in the year to September 2026.
| Belfast | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 69% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $962 a month | $1,108 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Belfast. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi National ParkAcadia National Park4.1M visitors a year
15 mi LandmarkFort Knox
40 mi MountainCadillac Mountain
37 mi LighthouseBass Harbor Head Light
23 mi MuseumFarnsworth Art Museum16 mi Ski areaCamden Snow Bowl31 runs · 836 ft verticalAcadia National Park: Plh1234us, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Knox: Unknown, Public domain · Cadillac Mountain: The original uploader was NightThree at English Wikipedia., CC BY 2.0 · Bass Harbor Head Light: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Farnsworth Art Museum: Panoramio user MementoMori, CC BY 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Belfast
About 1 of every 100 Belfast residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
Coastal flooding makes up 9% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
12 places in Belfast on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Belfast.
Town in Maine, United States
Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,938. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River estuary on Belfast Bay and Penobscot Bay. Belfast is the county seat of Waldo County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Belfast.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | #66 | B− | C | A− | C | B |
| Northport | — | — | C+ | — | — | B+ |
| Searsport | #129 | D | B | — | C− | C |
| Waldo | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Northport has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Northport and Searsport report no FBI crime data of their own. Waldo isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Belfast with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Belfast grades B− overall, better than 50% of U.S. towns and #66 of 142 in Maine. It grades B for health, A− for safety and C for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
17 notable people were born here, including William G. Crosby and William V. Pratt.
