Portage LakeME
A town of 359, settled in 1867.
Is Portage Lake a good place to live?
Portage Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
359 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Portage Lake: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Portage Lake, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Portage Lake.
Portage Lake has 0.7 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
For most workers, Portage Lake is a place to come home to: only 9% work in town. Just over a tenth of Portage Lake residents live below the poverty line, against 9% in Maine’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. The top destinations are Ashland (23%), Presque Isle (21%) and Masardis (8%).
| Portage Lake | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 9% | 12% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Portage Lake has a low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Of the losses FEMA expects in Portage Lake, 44% come from inland flooding and 35% from cold waves. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out here.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Portage Lake, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
In Portage Lake, the typical July afternoon high is 77°F, below both the Maine town median (79°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F).
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Compared with most of Maine and the rest of the country, more of Portage Lake’s adults report frequent physical distress
Among adults in Portage Lake, 20% have diabetes. Only 2 of the 144 Maine towns we compare have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Portage Lake. Of 32 CDC measures, Portage Lake beats the Maine average on 4 and trails it on 16.
| Portage Lake | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 52% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Portage Lake | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.3% | 15.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.6% | 76.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 14.9% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Portage Lake
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Portage Lake; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Portage Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
91% of working residents leave Portage Lake for work
Where Portage Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Portage Lake
Town in Maine, United States
Portage Lake is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 359 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 35 sq mi
- Elevation
- 725 ft
- ZIP code
- 04768
- Area code
- 207
Questions about Portage Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Portage Lake, ME a good place to live?
Portage Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.