Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,336, settled in 1851. 5.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Maine town.
Trash & recyclingRangeley’s best subject grades are an A for safety and schools and an A+ for civic life; its weakest is a C− for cost of living. Rangeley’s average trip to work is 41 minutes, against 25 minutes in Maine’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. No town among the 144 in Maine we compare has a higher median age than Rangeley. Rangeley is more walkable than 74% of U.S. towns. 20% of the land in Rangeley is conserved, against 4.7% in Maine’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. On civic life, just 6 of Maine’s 285 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Kennebago 3000 Conservation Area, at 3,180 acres. Rangeley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Rangeley beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Rangeley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 238 in 1860, 1,222 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 5 maps from 1933 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rangeley, 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 Rangeley.
People 65 and older are 49% of residents (22% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 0% of residents (20% statewide). Rangeley has grown 9.3% since 2020, to 1,336 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Maine.
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±9.5 points. Across Maine, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Rangeley | ME | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 1.9% | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 2% | 8.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0.3% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 0% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 5.9% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.1% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 27.7% | 15.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 33.5% | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.7% | 8.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.6% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 40.6% | 30.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.7% | 18.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 2.5% | 10.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.8% | 22.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.8% | 13.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,300, single groups can be off by several points
Its public schools are run by RSU 78. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rangeley Lakes Regional SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 191 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
The property crime rate in Rangeley is 3 per 1,000 residents.
| Rangeley | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3 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
58% of working residents work locally in Rangeley. Since 2013, Rangeley has added 222 jobs, to 806 in 2023. 1.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Rangeley.
| Rangeley | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 58% | 12% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 1.8% | 9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
52 miles of trail in 18 parks and preserves. Rangeley’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bald Mountain Public Reserved Land | 7.5 mi | 1,933 |
| 2. Hunter Cove Uplands | 2.9 mi | 184 |
| 3. Loon Lake Conservation Easement | 2.4 mi | 823 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Rangeley home is worth about $508,000, up 3.1% in a year, 23% above the Maine typical home. Only 6 of the 134 Maine towns we compare have a lower median rent than Rangeley.
| Rangeley | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $671 a month | $1,106 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
Rangeley has cold, snowy winters and cool summers. Only 9 of the 144 Maine towns we compare have a lower July high than Rangeley.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Rangeley beats the Maine average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 41% of Rangeley adults have high blood pressure.
| Rangeley | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Rangeley | ME |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 76% | 70.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.5% | 76.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.4% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Rangeley; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Rangeley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
Where Rangeley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Rangeley on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Maine, United States
Rangeley is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,222 at the 2020 census. Rangeley is the center of the Rangeley Lakes Region, a resort area. The town includes the villages of Rangeley and Oquossoc, as well as the communities of Mooselookmeguntic, Bald Mountain, Mountainview, and South Rangeley.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
5.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Maine town.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
