Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,077, settled in 1817.
The best of Palmyra’s subject grades is an A− for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for health. 29% of residents are under 18 in Palmyra, where Maine’s towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 22%. Only 2 of Maine’s 285 towns score lower on health. Palmyra's public schools trail 72% of Maine towns on state tests and graduation. The biggest park or preserve is Madawaska Bog Wildlife Management Area, at 291 acres. Palmyra has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Palmyra beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Palmyra | ME |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 20.1% | 10.7% |
Where Palmyra’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 Palmyra is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 188 in 1810, a low of 188 in 1810, 1,924 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1984 and 3 maps from 1932 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Palmyra, 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 Palmyra.
25% of Palmyra adults smoke cigarettes, above both the Maine town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 34% of adults get no exercise outside work in Palmyra. No town among the 144 in Maine we compare has a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Palmyra.
| Palmyra | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 19% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Palmyra | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.9% | 15.5% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 20.1% | 10.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Palmyra home is worth about $237,000, up 3.7% in a year, 43% below the Maine typical home. The median rent in Palmyra is $733 a month.
| Palmyra | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $733 a month | $1,106 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 83% | 81% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.5% of Palmyra working residents work locally. Since 2013, Palmyra has lost 205 jobs, to 453 in 2023. Palmyra’s average trip to work is 21 minutes.
| Palmyra | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 12% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Palmyra has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to 8° and about 72 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Palmyra | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Madawaska Bog Wildlife Management Area | — | 291 |
| 2. Saint Albans Wildlife Management Area | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Palmyra; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Palmyra residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
3 notable people were born in Palmyra.
Town in Maine, United States
Palmyra is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,924 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Palmyra.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmyra | — | — | A− | — | C | D− |
| Hartland | — | — | A− | — | C | C |
| St. Albans | — | — | C | — | C | C− |
| Newport | #120 | C− | C+ | B | C | C |
| Pittsfield | #124 | D | B− | — | C | D |
| Detroit | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Palmyra, Hartland and St. Albans have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Palmyra, Hartland, St. Albans and Pittsfield report no FBI crime data of their own. Detroit isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Palmyra with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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−.
3 notable people were born here, including James S. White and Frank I. Cowan.
