BOWDOIN (schooner) · National Register of Historic Places
Castine’s story
413 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1779.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1613Castine is settled
CastineME
5 bordering townsMap →
Population
1,310
2025 Census estimate · −0.7% since 2020
Median home value
$604K
Census ACS
Household income
$114K
median
Median age
21.2
years
Jobs based here
554
Balanced
Is Castine a good place to live?
Castine’s best subject grades are an A for health and an A+ for history and civic life; its weakest is a D for cost of living. 75% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Castine, above both the Maine town median (32%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). On hazard risk, just 6 of Maine’s 285 towns do better. On history, just 3 of Maine’s 285 towns do better. Castine is home to Maine Maritime Academy. On civic life, just 5 of Maine’s 285 towns do better. Castine has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Castine stand out
Where Castine beats most towns.
BOWDOIN (schooner)HistoryA+
Settled in 1613
7 places on the National Register
A history going back 413 years.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Castine17.6
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical ME town4.4
Civic lifeA+
4 times the nonprofits per person
than the typical Maine town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
How Castine grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Castine is from typical.
HealthHealthier than 90% of U.S. towns; Northern Light Blue Hill Memorial Hospital 10.9 miles awayAOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $604K, 8.3 years of the county’s $73K median household incomeDOpen →Hazard riskhurricanes tops the listAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.2 of 20; 6.5% of households have no car; 32.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitA−Open →Jobs & income$114K median household incomeC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors7% conserved landAOpen →History3 notable people born hereA+Open →Civic life17.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Castine: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Castine, and how to reach them.
PowerCentral Maine Power27.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCastine Water DepartmentNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Castine’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Maine you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereCastine Town ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2026
ZIP code0442104421 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Castine.
Schools
The schools Castine’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Castine Public Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 45 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts
HealthA
Castine stands out in Maine and nationally, with fewer of its adults who have high blood pressure
24% of adults have high blood pressure in Castine, where Maine’s towns sit at 35% and U.S. towns at 35%. 23% of adults have obesity in Castine. No town among the 144 in Maine we compare has a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Castine.
90%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Castine | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 35% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Maine
18 better10 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Castine | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer smokers | 8.6% | 14.4% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 6.8% | 11.2% |
| More binge drinkers | 21.8% | 15.5% |
Northern Light Blue Hill Memorial Hospital
10.9 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
The FEMA risk score in Castine is lower than in the typical Maine or U.S. town
Castine’s FEMA risk score is 15 of 100. Since 1990, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Castine.
15risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesInland floodingCold waves
4
paid flood claims since 1990
8
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Castine
Castine has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Castine is 77°F.
72″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–32°
Spring33–51°
Summer56–74°
Fall40–57°
Oct 5
typical first frost
May 7
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
With 1.4 jobs for every working resident, Castine draws in 474 commuters
About one in 5 of Castine’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Castine has lost 171 jobs, to 554 in 2023. 14% of Castine residents live below the poverty line.
20%work in town
| Castine | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $114,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 12% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Castine20%
Blue Hill9%
Ellsworth8%
Bangor6%
Portland5%
18 mi
median commute distance
554
jobs based in Castine
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsA
7.2% of Castine is conserved land
14 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Witherle Woods, 178 acres with 4.1 miles of trail.
7.2%conserved
| Castine | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.2% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
7.2%
conserved · 915 of 12,725 acres
14 mi
of trails · 0.7 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Witherle Woods | 4.1 mi | 178 |
| 2. Holbrook Island Sanctuary State Park | 2.1 mi | 109 |
| 3. Rene Henderson Natural Area | 1.5 mi | 109 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Castine
19pages on Castine
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Castine
College town 48 of every 100 Castine residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
Small town
1,310 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
BrooksvillePenobscotIslesboroStockton SpringsSearsportCastine
Landmarks
7 places in Castine on the National Register of Historic Places.
Famous people from Castine
3 notable people were born in Castine.
About Castine
Town in Maine, United States
Castine ( kas-TEEN) is a town in Hancock County in eastern Maine, United States. The population was 1,320 at the 2020 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine related industries. Called Majabigwaduce by Tarrantine Abenaki Indians, Castine is one of the oldest towns in New England, predating the Plymouth Colony by seven years. Situated on Penobscot Bay, it is near the site of historic Fort Pentagouet. Few places in New England have had a more tumultuous history than Castine, which proclaims itself the "battle line of four nations." During the French colonial period of …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1613
- Area
- 20 sq mi
- Elevation
- 30 ft
- ZIP code
- 04420, 04421
- Area code
- 207
Questions about Castine
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Castine, ME expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
What is Castine, ME known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Boyd Bartlett and Noah Brooks.