Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Newport is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 120th among Maine's 142 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is safety: it reports less crime per resident than 58% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its public schools trail 72% of Maine towns on state tests and graduation. A typical home there costs about $261K, 3.9 years of the Bangor metro’s $66K median household income. Newport’s median age is 50.3 years, against 44.9 years in Maine’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. Newport has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Hexagon Barn and North Newport Christian Church. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 68% of U.S. towns.
Where Newport beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Newport is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 510 in 1820, 3,133 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1920 and 3 maps from 1932 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Newport, 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 Newport.
Newport is healthier than towns with similar incomes, sees little violent crime and has cooler summers than most of the country, though not than most of Maine.
The median rent in Newport is $893 a month. The typical Newport home is worth about $261,000, up 4.3% in a year, 37% below the Maine typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by RSU 19. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Nokomis Regional High School, with 610 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nokomis Regional Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 524 | D |
| Nokomis Regional High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 610 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 75% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 9,023 U.S. towns with household incomes like Newport’s, it is less healthy than 53%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Newport beats the Maine average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 28% of Newport adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Newport | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| What stands out | Newport | ME |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with obesity | 38.3% | 32.7% |
| More adults who get no exercise | 26.9% | 23.1% |
| More adults with high blood pressure | 39.4% | 35.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons average 79.5°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 81% of Maine places with climate records; January nights average 8.2°.
Newport has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Newport’s January low is 8°F. About 72 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Newport | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 8°F | 10°F | 22°F |
| July high | 80°F | 79°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Newport for work: only 17% work in town. Since 2013, Newport has added 319 jobs, to 1,655 in 2023. 13% of residents live below the poverty line in Newport.
| Newport | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
13 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Mullen Woods, at 118 acres.
| Newport | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 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. Mullen Woods | 0.2 mi | 118 |
| 2. Penobscot County Conservation Association Wildlife Management Area | — | 6 |
| 3. River-Walk Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
Maine has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Newport sits closer to the middle.
| Newport | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.7 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Newport; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Newport residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
3 notable people were born in Newport.
Town in Maine, United States
Newport is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,133 at the 2020 census. It contains the census-designated place of the same name. The town's borders surround the shoreline of Sebasticook Lake.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Newport.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newport | #120 | C− | C+ | B | C | C |
| Palmyra | — | — | A− | — | C | D− |
| Plymouth | — | — | A− | — | C | C |
| Corinna | — | — | A− | — | C | D |
| Stetson | — | — | A− | — | C | D |
Palmyra, Plymouth, Corinna and Stetson have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Palmyra, Plymouth, Corinna and Stetson report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Newport with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Newport grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #120 of 142 in Maine. It grades C for health, B for safety and C for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Maine has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Newport sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
3 notable people were born here, including Cooper Flagg and Lewis O. Barrows.
