Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Yes, by almost any measure. Cumberland earns an A+, ranked 1st of 142 in Maine. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 98% of U.S. towns, the median household earns $174K, and residents are healthier than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $747K, 8.1 years of the Portland metro’s $92K median household income. 73% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Cumberland, against 32% in Maine’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Cumberland's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 96% of U.S. towns. Of the 79 Maine towns we compare, none has a lower property crime rate than Cumberland.
Where Cumberland beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Cumberland | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.4% | 14.8% |
Census counts: 1,558 in 1830, a low of 1,150 in 1920, 8,473 in 2020. The archive holds 22 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 4 maps from 1894 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Cumberland is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for safety (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 13%), so the A+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cumberland. Close and well known come first.
12 mi LighthousePortland Head Light
9 mi LandmarkFort Gorges23 mi Ancient sitePopham Colony
9 mi MuseumMaine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum
9 mi MuseumPortland Museum of Art22 mi LandmarkSpirit Pond runestonesPortland Head Light: Aniarku, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Gorges: Dirk Ingo Franke, CC BY 3.0 · Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum: No machine-readable author provided. Gwernol assumed (based on copyright claims), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Portland Museum of Art: John Phelan, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cumberland, 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 Cumberland.
Cumberland is among the three healthiest towns in Maine, has schools in the top 5% of Maine and reports less crime than Yarmouth or any other graded neighbor.
At 8.1 years of the Portland metro’s $92K median household income, the typical home (about $747K) costs more against local pay than in 95% of Maine towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $7,116, against $3,036 across Maine, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Cumberland is $2,143 a month. The typical Cumberland home is worth about $747,000, up 2.9% in a year, 81% above the Maine typical home. 91% of Cumberland households own their home.
| Cumberland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,143 a month | $1,106 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 91% | 81% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A ranks #6 of the 142 Maine towns we grade for schools. Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $747K.
Its public schools are run by RSU 51/MSAD 51. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Greely High School, with 615 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mabel I Wilson SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 730 | B |
| Greely High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 615 | A− |
| Greely Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 515 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
36 miles of trail in 21 parks and preserves. Cumberland’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Rines Forest, 310 acres with 5 miles of trail.
| Cumberland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.4 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.3% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Twin Brook Recreation Area | 5.8 mi | 223 |
| 2. Rines Forest | 5 mi | 310 |
| 3. Knight's Pond Preserve | 4.7 mi | 215 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A+ tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; Yarmouth (A) comes closest. Reported crimes fell from 22 to 6 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
It ranks #3 of the 143 Maine towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Maine is tooth loss: 6.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.8% statewide.
14% of adults get no exercise outside work in Cumberland. Among 143 Maine towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Cumberland. 28% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Cumberland.
| Cumberland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 23% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 33% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Cumberland | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.4% | 14.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.4% | 10.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 1,398 in 2013 to 1,831. 25.3% of workers work from home, against 15.9% across Maine.
Most working residents leave Cumberland for work: only 10% work in town. No town among the 143 in Maine we compare has a higher median household income than Cumberland. Jobs based in Cumberland grew to 1,831 in 2023, 433 more than in 2013.
| Cumberland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $174,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.1% | 9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cumberland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Gray weather station, 7 miles away, records that 84 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 80°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 89% of Maine places with climate records; January nights average 13.2°.
Cumberland has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain.
| Cumberland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 80°F | 79°F | 85°F |
| January low | 13°F | 10°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
5 within 15 miles of the center of Cumberland
About 4 of every 100 Cumberland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
7,211 counted in 2010 and 8,473 in 2020; an estimated 8,876 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
2 places in Cumberland on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Cumberland.
Town in Maine, United States
Cumberland is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. Cumberland is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England City and Town Area. The population was 8,473 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland metropolitan area, Maine. Cumberland is one of the wealthiest municipalities in the state.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Cumberland.
At #1 in ME, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Falmouth (A) comes closest. Windham next door grades lower for schools (B to Cumberland’s A) and higher for cost of living (B− to D).
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland | #1 | A+ | D | A+ | A | A+ |
| North Yarmouth | #15 | A− | C− | — | A | A |
| Yarmouth | #8 | A | D− | A | A+ | A |
| Cumberland Center | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Falmouth | #4 | A | D | A | A+ | A+ |
| Gray | #60 | B | C | — | B− | A |
| Windham | #6 | A | B− | A− | B | A |
| Chebeague Island | — | — | — | — | — | — |
North Yarmouth and Gray report no FBI crime data of their own. Cumberland Center and Chebeague Island aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Cumberland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Cumberland grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #1 of 142 in Maine. It grades A+ for health, A+ for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
4 notable people were born here, including Joseph Brackett and Charles Gould Morton.
