Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,219.
The best of Canaan’s subject grades is a B+ for cost of living; the weakest is a C for walkability. Canaan’s average trip to work is 34 minutes, above both Maine’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Among 144 Maine towns, just 6 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Canaan. On history, just 8 of Maine’s 285 towns do worse. Canaan has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Canaan’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 Canaan is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 132 in 1790, a low of 132 in 1790, 2,193 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2017 and 4 maps from 1913 on.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Canaan, 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 Canaan.
The typical Canaan home is worth about $248,000, up 9.7% in a year, 40% below the Maine typical home. At $922 a month, Canaan’s median rent is where Maine’s towns sit at $1,106 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. 86% of Canaan households own their home.
| Canaan | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $922 a month | $1,106 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by RSU 54/MSAD 54. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canaan Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 160 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Canaan for work: only 4% work in town. Since 2013, Canaan has lost 72 jobs, to 365 in 2023. The median household income in Canaan is $58,000.
| Canaan | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Canaan beats the Maine average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 29% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Canaan. Only 5 of the 144 Maine towns we compare have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Canaan.
| Canaan | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | Canaan | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 8.7% | 9.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.6% | 14.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Canaan has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Canaan’s July high is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Canaan | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Canaan. Close and well known come first.
40 mi LandmarkFort Knox
16 mi MuseumColby College Museum of Art
35 mi MuseumMaine State Museum
9 mi MuseumL. C. Bates Museum
35 mi GardenViles Arboretum
38 mi MuseumPenobscot Marine MuseumFort Knox: Unknown, Public domain · Colby College Museum of Art: Colby Mariam, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Maine State Museum: Stilfehler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · L. C. Bates Museum: W.A. Judge, Public domain · Viles Arboretum: eddie welker from Laurel, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Penobscot Marine Museum: John Smith, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Canaan
About 3 of every 100 Canaan residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
Town in Maine, United States
Canaan is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,193 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Canaan.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canaan | — | — | B+ | — | C | C |
| Skowhegan | #128 | D | C+ | — | C | C− |
| Hartland | — | — | A− | — | C | C |
| Pittsfield | #124 | D | B− | — | C | D |
| Clinton | #72 | B− | B | A | C | C+ |
| Cornville | — | — | C | — | C | C− |
Canaan, Hartland and Cornville have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Canaan, Skowhegan, Hartland, Pittsfield and Cornville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Canaan with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
