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.
At 2.6 per 1,000 residents, Hampden’s property crime rate is against 7.5 in Maine’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. The violent crime rate in Hampden is 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
| 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
Its public schools are run by RSU 22. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hampden Academy, with 767 students.
| 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.
Hampden beats the Maine average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 83% of adults had a checkup this year in Hampden, where Maine’s towns sit at 81% and U.S. towns at 79%. 12% of adults smoke cigarettes in Hampden.
| 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.
Hampden has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Hampden’s July high is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Hampden since 2005.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Children under 18 are 26% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (20% statewide). 46% of Hampden adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Hampden has grown 4.8% since 2020, to 8,078 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| 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.
Most working residents leave Hampden for work: only 11% work in town. Jobs based in Hampden grew to 2,910 in 2023, 1,173 more than in 2013. Only 7 of the 143 Maine towns we compare have a higher median household income than Hampden.
| 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.
The typical Hampden home is worth about $352,000, up 2.7% in a year, 15% below the Maine typical home.
| 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 |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.6 miles of trail in 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−.
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.
