Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Belgrade is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B+ overall, 45th among Maine's 142 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: residents are healthier than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also does better than most on schools: its schools outperform 67% of the state's. A typical home there costs about $408K, 5.9 years of the Augusta area’s $69K median household income. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. Belgrade has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Chandler Store and The Birches. Among 143 Maine towns, just 5 have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Belgrade.
Where Belgrade beats most towns.
Where Belgrade’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Belgrade is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 295 in 1800, a low of 295 in 1800, 3,250 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1838 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Belgrade, 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 Belgrade.
52 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. At 0.9 miles per square mile, Belgrade’s trail density is above both the Maine town median (0.7) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Gawler Wildlife Management Area, at 367 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Belgrade | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 4.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gawler Wildlife Management Area | 1.2 mi | 367 |
| 2. Ray Hammond Memorial Forest | 0.3 mi | 80 |
| 3. Gawler Wildlife Mangagement Area | — | 225 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by RSU 18. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgrade Central SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 236 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
28% of Belgrade adults feel lonely, below both Maine’s towns (32%) and U.S. towns (33%). 13% of adults binge drink in Belgrade. Belgrade beats the Maine average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Belgrade | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Belgrade | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.8% | 14.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.1% | 10.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Belgrade for work: only 7% work in town. Jobs based in Belgrade grew to 737 in 2023, 124 more than in 2013. Belgrade’s average trip to work is 23 minutes.
| Belgrade | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $88,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.2% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Belgrade since 1984.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The New Sharon weather station, 11 miles away, records that 86 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. The New Sharon weather station, 11 miles away, records that about 3 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 84% of Maine places with climate records.
Belgrade has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Belgrade is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
94% of Belgrade households own their home.
| Belgrade | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 94% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $857 a month | $1,108 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Belgrade. Close and well known come first.
15 mi MuseumMaine State Museum
9 mi MuseumColby College Museum of Art
38 mi National MonumentFrances Perkins National Monument39 mi Ski areaBlack Mountain of Maine29 runs · 1,227 ft vertical
14 mi MuseumL. C. Bates Museum
16 mi GardenViles ArboretumMaine State Museum: Stilfehler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Colby College Museum of Art: Colby Mariam, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frances Perkins National Monument: Robert Reed, NPS employee (per the same source), Public domain · L. C. Bates Museum: W.A. Judge, Public domain · Viles Arboretum: eddie welker from Laurel, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Belgrade
About 6 of every 100 Belgrade residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maine.
3 places in Belgrade on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Belgrade.
Town in Maine, United States
Belgrade is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. Its population was 3,250 at the 2020 census. However, its population approximately doubles during the summer months as part-year residents return to seasonal camps on the shores of Great Pond, Long Pond and Messalonskee Lake. Belgrade includes the villages of North Belgrade, Belgrade Depot and Belgrade Lakes (or The Village). It is included in the Augusta, Maine micropolitan New England City and Town Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Belgrade.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgrade | #45 | B+ | B− | — | B+ | A− |
| Rome | — | — | B− | — | B+ | B− |
| Mount Vernon | — | — | B− | — | A− | B |
| Oakland | #33 | B+ | B | A− | B+ | B− |
| Sidney | #95 | C | C | — | B+ | C |
| Smithfield | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Manchester | — | — | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Readfield | #29 | A− | C | — | A− | A− |
Rome, Mount Vernon and Manchester have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Belgrade, Rome, Mount Vernon, Sidney, Manchester and Readfield report no FBI crime data of their own. Smithfield isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Belgrade with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Belgrade grades B+ overall, better than 66% of U.S. towns and #45 of 142 in Maine. It grades A− for health and B+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
6 notable people were born here, including Lot M. Morrill and Anson Morrill.
