Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hampden grades A− overall, 16th among Maine's 142 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It reports less crime per resident than 92% of U.S. towns and its public schools beat 81% of Maine towns on state tests and graduation. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $112K. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $352K for a typical one and 5.3 times the Bangor metro’s $66K median household income. Hampden has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Hampden Academy and Martin Kinsley House. Only 3 of the 143 Maine towns we compare have a higher share of children under 18 than Hampden. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 80% of U.S. towns.
Where Hampden beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| George B Weatherbee School | 2–5 | 381 |
| Earl C McGraw School | PK–1 | 203 |
| Reeds Brook Middle School | 6–8 | 304 |
Hampden Academy
Census counts: 904 in 1800, a low of 904 in 1800, 7,709 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1795 and 4 maps from 1900 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Hampden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hampden, 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 Hampden.
Hampden pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Maine norm, has less tooth loss than most of Maine and has fewer 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Maine.
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
Hampden’s rate of thefts and burglaries stands at 2.6 per 1,000 residents. The level of violent crime for Hampden comes to 0.2 per 1,000 residents, near the Maine town median (0.6) and below the median of U.S. towns (1.6).
| Hampden | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
RSU 22 runs its public schools. The largest public high school is Hampden Academy, with 767 students. Three of the 4 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| George B Weatherbee SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–5 | Grades 2–5 | 381 | A− |
| Hampden AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 767 | A+ |
| Reeds Brook Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 304 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Maine is tooth loss: 8.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.8% statewide. Against the 6,864 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hampden’s, it is healthier than 53%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
In Hampden, 83% of adults had a checkup this year, where Maine’s towns sit at 81% and U.S. towns at 79%. 27% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in the town. Among adults locally, 12% smoke cigarettes and 9.5% have diabetes.
| Hampden | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 11% | 12% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Hampden | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.3% | 14.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.6% | 10.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Bangor Intl Ap weather station, 5 miles away, records that about 6 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 89% of Maine places with climate records.
A winter brings about 75 inches of snow, with January nights at 10° and July afternoons at 79°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Hampden has had one paid flood insurance claim since 2005. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in the town than in two thirds of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 59% come from inland flooding and 12% from hurricanes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Hampden: 17% of residents are 65 or older. Children under 18 are 26% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (20% statewide). Population is up 4.8% locally since 2020, to 8,078 by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. A bachelor’s degree or higher: 46% of adults 25 and older, vs 36% across Maine.
| Hampden | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 46% | 32% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 22% | 18% |
| Median age | 41 years | 45 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Maine, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Hampden | ME | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.3% | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.6% | 8.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.8% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.5% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.2% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.1% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.2% | 15.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.6% | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.6% | 8.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.5% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.3% | 30.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.9% | 18.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.3% | 10.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.9% | 22.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18% | 13.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Jobs based here grew from 1,737 in 2013 to 2,910.
The top destinations are Bangor (43%), Brewer (7%) and Hermon (4%). Most people who work leave Hampden to do it: just 11% work in town. Also worth knowing: jobs based in Hampden grew to 2,910 in 2023, 1,173 more than in 2013. The share of workers in Hampden who work from home: 21%.
| Hampden | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 21% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $112,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% | 9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Hampden grades A− overall with a typical home of about $352K, below the Maine typical value; only 6 of the 33 Maine towns graded A− or better can say that.
Typical home values rose 2.7% in the year to September 2026. For households in Hampden, the share who are owner-occupiers is 86%. Homes in Hampden sold for 96.5% of their list price on average.
| Hampden | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,286 a month | $1,106 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
There are 1.6 miles of trail across 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Dorothea Dix Park, at 30 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dorothea Dix Park | 0.2 mi | 30 |
| 2. Lura Hoit Memorial Park | — | 14 |
| 3. Skeehan Recreation Center | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hampden. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi National ParkAcadia National Park4.1M visitors a year
12 mi LandmarkFort Knox7 mi MuseumUniversity of Maine Museum of Art38 mi Ski areaCamden Snow Bowl31 runs · 836 ft vertical
40 mi MuseumColby College Museum of Art
19 mi MuseumPenobscot Marine MuseumAcadia National Park: Plh1234us, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Knox: Unknown, Public domain · Colby College Museum of Art: Colby Mariam, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Penobscot Marine Museum: John Smith, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of Hampden
About 5 of every 100 Hampden residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maine.
5 places in Hampden on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Hampden.
Town in Maine, United States
Hampden is a town on the Penobscot River estuary in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,709 at the 2020 census. It contains a census-designated place of the same name. Hampden is part of the Bangor metropolitan statistical area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Hampden.
It grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Winterport (A−) comes closest.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampden | #16 | A− | C | A | A− | A− |
| Hermon | #84 | C+ | C− | — | B | B− |
| Orrington | #56 | B | C | — | B+ | B+ |
| Newburgh | — | — | C | — | A− | A− |
| Brewer | #101 | C | C− | B− | B | C |
| Winterport | #21 | A− | B | — | A− | B+ |
| Bangor | #109 | C− | C− | D | B+ | C+ |
Newburgh has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Hermon, Orrington, Newburgh and Winterport report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Hampden with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Hampden grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #16 of 142 in Maine. It grades A− for health, A for safety and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. Hampden reports less crime per resident than 92% of U.S. towns, an A Safety Grade: 2 violent and 21 property crimes in 2025.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
11 notable people were born here, including Dorothea Dix and James S. Brown.
