Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lincoln gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $229K for a typical one, or 3.4 years of the Bangor metro’s $66K median household income. It grades B− overall, 69th among Maine's 142 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $56K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 87% of the country. On the plus side, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 95% of U.S. towns. 37% of working residents work locally in Lincoln, above both Maine’s towns (12%) and U.S. towns (8%). On hazard risk, just 23 of Maine’s 285 towns do better. Gordon Fox Ranch is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Lincoln beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Lincoln is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for safety (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D for jobs and income (better than 9%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 224 in 1810, 4,853 in 2020. The archive holds 22 old photos and papers going back to 1868 and a map from 1957 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lincoln, 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 Lincoln.
Lincoln trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and sees little violent crime.
Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
Lincoln’s property crime rate is 2.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Lincoln | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.8 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 67. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Mattanawcook Academy, with 313 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ella P Burr SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 324 | C− |
| Mattanawcook AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 313 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
42% of adults have high blood pressure in Lincoln. Among 143 Maine towns, just 4 have a higher share of adults who have obesity than Lincoln. 29% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Lincoln.
| Lincoln | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 35% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Lincoln | ME |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.8% | 14.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 11% | 8.4% |
| More adults who get no exercise | 30% | 23.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes are within reach (about $229K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 27 miles.
The median rent in Lincoln is $658 a month. Typical home values rose 5.3% in the year to September 2026.
| Lincoln | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $658 a month | $1,108 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 81% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 81% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Lincoln since 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Millinocket weather station, 24 miles away, records that 86 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 79.5°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 81% of Maine places with climate records; January nights average 6.9°.
Lincoln has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Only 10 of the 143 Maine towns we compare have a lower January low than Lincoln.
| Lincoln | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 7°F | 10°F | 22°F |
| July high | 80°F | 79°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
29 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Marguerite Flanders Playground | — | 3 |
| 2. Edwards Family Children's Fishing Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Prince Thomas Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
About one in 3 of Lincoln’s working residents works in town. 17% of Lincoln residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Lincoln has lost 245 jobs, to 2,090 in 2023.
| Lincoln | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Lincoln; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Lincoln residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
5 notable people were born in Lincoln.
Town in Maine, United States
Lincoln is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The town's population was 4,853 at the 2020 United States Census. It contains the census-designated place of the same name. A statue honoring Medal of Honor recipient Gary Gordon was installed in Lincoln, in 2021. The 10-foot (3.0 m) bronze sculpture faces Gordon's grave at Park Street Cemetery.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Lincoln.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | #69 | B− | A− | A+ | C− | D |
| Lee | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Winn | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Burlington | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Lee, Winn and Burlington aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lincoln with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lincoln grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #69 of 142 in Maine. It grades D for health, A+ for safety and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
5 notable people were born here, including Elenore Abbott and Gary Gordon.