Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,438, settled in 1852.
Holden grades B+ overall, ranked 37th of 142 in Maine, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It reports less crime per resident than 90% of U.S. towns and its public schools beat 76% of Maine towns on state tests and graduation. It also does better than most on health: it is healthier than 67% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $351K, 5.3 years of the Bangor metro’s $66K median household income. Only 5 of Maine’s 285 towns score lower on history. The biggest place to walk is Fields Pond Audubon Center, 69 acres with 1.7 miles of trail. Only 19 of Maine’s 285 towns score lower on the outdoors.
Where Holden beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Holden School | 2–4 | 149 |
| Holbrook School | 5–8 | 178 |
Where Holden’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 Holden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 805 in 1860, a low of 543 in 1930, 3,277 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 3 maps from 1902 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Holden, 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 Holden.
Holden has seen reported crime fall by about half and has fewer 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Maine.
Reported crimes fell from 25 to 6 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
Holden’s property crime rate is 1.7 per 1,000 residents, below both Maine’s towns (7.5) and U.S. towns (9.9). Holden’s violent crime rate is 0 per 1,000 residents.
| Holden | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by RSU 63/MSAD 63. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holbrook SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 178 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Holden for work: only 5% work in town. 3.2% of Holden residents live below the poverty line, against 9% in Maine’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. The median household income in Holden is $92,000.
| Holden | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.2% | 9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.8% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 75% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
83% of adults had a checkup this year in Holden. Holden beats the Maine average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 8.5% of adults worry about having enough food in Holden.
| Holden | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 11% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Holden | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.5% | 10.7% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.1% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Holden | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 4.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fields Pond Audubon Center | 1.7 mi | 69 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Bangor Intl Ap weather station, 7 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. July afternoons average 79.8°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 87% of Maine places with climate records; January nights average 9.7°.
Holden has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 75 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Holden | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 10°F | 10°F | 22°F |
| July high | 80°F | 79°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 47% of residents (40% statewide); people 65 and older are 15% of residents (22% statewide). 45% of Holden adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Holden has grown 4.9% since 2020, to 3,438 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Holden | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 45% | 32% | 29% |
| Median age | 45 years | 44.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 22% | 18% | 22% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.6 points. Across Maine, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Holden | ME | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14% | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.5% | 8.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 1.2% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.2% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 23.9% | 15.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.4% | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.7% | 8.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.7% | 30.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.8% | 18.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.9% | 10.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.7% | 22.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16% | 13.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,400, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Holden home is worth about $351,000, up 2.6% in a year, 15% below the Maine typical home. Among 143 Maine towns, just 10 have a higher share of households owning their home than Holden.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Holden. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi National ParkAcadia National Park4.1M visitors a year
15 mi LandmarkFort Knox
36 mi MountainCadillac Mountain5 mi MuseumUniversity of Maine Museum of Art
35 mi MuseumAbbe Museum
24 mi MuseumPenobscot Marine MuseumAcadia National Park: Plh1234us, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Knox: Unknown, Public domain · Cadillac Mountain: The original uploader was NightThree at English Wikipedia., CC BY 2.0 · Abbe Museum: AbbeMuseum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Penobscot Marine Museum: John Smith, Public domain
4 within 15 miles of the center of Holden
About 4 of every 100 Holden residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
Town in Maine, United States
Holden is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,277 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Holden.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Orrington (B) comes closest. Bucksport next door grades lower for schools (B− to Holden’s A−) and higher for cost of living (B to C).
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holden | #37 | B+ | C | A | A− | B+ |
| Eddington | — | — | C+ | — | A− | B |
| Orrington | #56 | B | C | — | B+ | B+ |
| Brewer | #101 | C | C− | B− | B | C |
| Dedham | — | — | C | — | A+ | B+ |
| Bucksport | #70 | B− | B | A− | B− | B− |
Eddington and Dedham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Eddington, Orrington and Dedham report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Holden with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Holden grades B+ overall, better than 71% of U.S. towns and #37 of 142 in Maine. It grades B+ for health, A for safety and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
