Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Boothbay is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, ranked 73rd of 142 in Maine, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: residents are healthier than 73% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $571K for a typical one and 7.4 times the county’s $77K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. Boothbay’s average trip to work is 13 minutes, against 25 minutes in Maine’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Boothbay's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 97% of U.S. towns. Only 7 of the 143 Maine towns we compare have a higher median age than Boothbay.
Where Boothbay beats most towns.
Knight-Corey House| Widest gap | Boothbay | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.6% | 14.8% |
Census counts: 997 in 1790, a low of 997 in 1790, 3,003 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1787 and 5 maps from 1893 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Boothbay is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Boothbay, 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 Boothbay.
Boothbay gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Maine.
At 7.4 years of the county’s $77K median household income, the typical home (about $571K) costs more against local pay than in 89% of Maine towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living.
The typical Boothbay home is worth about $571,000, up 2.9% in a year, 39% above the Maine typical home.
| Boothbay | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 78% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,147 a month | $1,106 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 9,013 U.S. towns with household incomes like Boothbay’s, it is healthier than 95%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Maine is tooth loss: 8.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.8% statewide.
12% of adults binge drink in Boothbay. Among 143 Maine towns, just 6 have a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Boothbay. 11% of adults smoke cigarettes in Boothbay.
| Boothbay | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 85% | 81% | 79% |
| What stands out | Boothbay | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.6% | 14.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.6% | 10.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 20 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Boothbay.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
29 miles of trail in 29 parks and preserves. Damariscove Island Preserve, at 236 acres with 2.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Boothbay | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 4.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ovens Mouth Preserve | 4.5 mi | 145 |
| 2. Damariscove Island Preserve | 2.3 mi | 236 |
| 3. Zak Preserve | 1.9 mi | 148 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Newcastle weather station, 20 miles away, records that 79 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. The Newcastle weather station, 20 miles away, records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Boothbay has chilly, snowy winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. Boothbay’s July high is 75°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Boothbay has about as many jobs (899) as working residents, but only 266 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 13.3 minutes, against 24.6 across Maine.
About one in 4 of Boothbay’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Boothbay grew to 899 in 2023, 304 more than in 2013. 5.7% of Boothbay workers work from home.
| Boothbay | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 12% | 8% |
| Work from home | 5.7% | 15% | 11% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Boothbay. Close and well known come first.
33 mi LighthousePortland Head Light
in town GardenCoastal Maine Botanical Gardens
33 mi LandmarkFort Gorges
7 mi LighthousePemaquid Point Light11 mi LandmarkSpirit Pond runestonesPortland Head Light: Aniarku, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: CMBG editor, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Gorges: Dirk Ingo Franke, CC BY 3.0 · Pemaquid Point Light: WestportWiki, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Boothbay; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Boothbay residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maine.
Coastal flooding makes up 12% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
33.6% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, so the town is fuller in summer than its census count suggests.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
4 places in Boothbay on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Boothbay.
Town in Maine, United States
Boothbay is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,003 at the 2020 census. It includes the neighborhoods of Back Narrows, Dover, Linekin, Oak Hill, Ocean Point, Spruce Shores, and the villages of East Boothbay and Trevett. Boothbay surrounds the town of Boothbay Harbor, a center of summer tourist activity, and a significant part of its population does not live there year-round. Five shipyards are located in the town, the largest of which is Washburn & Doughty.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Boothbay.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boothbay | #73 | B− | C | — | B− | B+ |
| South Bristol | — | — | C+ | — | — | A+ |
| Boothbay Harbor | — | — | C− | A | B− | B |
| Edgecomb | — | — | C | — | B− | B+ |
| Westport Island | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Southport | — | — | — | — | — | — |
South Bristol, Boothbay Harbor and Edgecomb have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Boothbay, South Bristol and Edgecomb report no FBI crime data of their own. Westport Island and Southport aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Boothbay with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Boothbay grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #73 of 142 in Maine. It grades B+ for health and B− 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.
3 notable people were born here, including Matthew Forgues and Dorothy M. Healy.
