Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Rockland grades C overall, 94th of 142 graded towns in Maine, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns and natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, the median household income is $57K, and 10% of residents live below the poverty line. Rockland’s average trip to work is 12 minutes, where Maine’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Its National Register listings include STEPHEN TABER (schooner) and GRACE BAILEY (two-masted schooner). Rockland's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Where Rockland beats most towns.
STEPHEN TABER (schooner)
STEPHEN TABER (schooner) is one of 5 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 24 National Register listings are more than in 95% of Maine towns with a listing.
Census counts: 5,052 in 1850, a peak of 9,284 in 1950, 6,936 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1835 and 4 maps from 1904 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Rockland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rockland, 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 Rockland.
Rockland draws workers from Warren and beyond, has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is safe by national standards but not by Maine’s.
5,093 jobs are based in Rockland, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 12.4 minutes, against 24.6 across Maine.
About one in 3 of Rockland’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Rockland has lost 1,256 jobs, to 5,093 in 2023. The top destinations are Rockport (12%), Thomaston (6%) and Camden (5%).
| Rockland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 32% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by RSU 13. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Oceanside High School, with 494 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 311 | C− |
| Oceanside High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 494 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
11 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. Rockland Bog Preserve, at 487 acres with 1.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rockland Bog Preserve | 1.9 mi | 487 |
| 2. Rockland Bog Overlook | 0.5 mi | 19 |
| 3. R. Waldo Tyler (Weskeag Marsh) Wildlife Management Area | — | 119 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 82% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Rockland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 7,886 U.S. towns with household incomes like Rockland’s, it is healthier than 95%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Rockland tracks Maine closely on all 32 CDC measures. 29% of Rockland adults have obesity.
| Rockland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The W Rockport 1 Nnw weather station, 5 miles away, records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 75°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 14°. The W Rockport 1 Nnw weather station, 5 miles away, records that 69 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 85% of Maine places with climate records.
Rockland has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Rockland is 75°F.
| Rockland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 75°F | 79°F | 85°F |
| January low | 14°F | 10°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Values fell 3.4% in the past year while the Maine typical home rose 1.6%. The typical value, about $342K, is 9% below its October 2024 peak.
The typical Rockland home is worth about $342,000, 17% below the Maine typical home. 62% of households own their home in Rockland.
| Rockland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,092 a month | $1,108 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Maine average. Rockland’s median age is 49.3 years. Rockland has grown 2.8% since 2020, to 7,142 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Rockland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49.3 years | 44.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 16% | 18% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 25% | 21% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 32% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
About 84 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.2 points). Across Maine, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Rockland | ME | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.3% | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.1% | 8.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.6% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.3% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.4% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.9% | 15.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.1% | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.3% | 8.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.2% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.1% | 30.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.9% | 18.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.2% | 10.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.1% | 22.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.5% | 13.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
At 20.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 81% of Maine’s graded towns. Violent crime runs at 2.7 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Maine rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its B−.
No town among the 79 in Maine we compare has a higher violent crime rate than Rockland. Rockland reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 54% report less.
| Rockland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.4 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rockland. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi National ParkAcadia National Park4.1M visitors a year
35 mi LandmarkFort Knox
in town MuseumFarnsworth Art Museum
27 mi LighthousePemaquid Point Light
40 mi LighthouseBass Harbor Head Light6 mi Ski areaCamden Snow Bowl31 runs · 836 ft verticalAcadia National Park: Plh1234us, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Knox: Unknown, Public domain · Farnsworth Art Museum: Panoramio user MementoMori, CC BY 3.0 · Pemaquid Point Light: WestportWiki, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bass Harbor Head Light: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Rockland
About 2 of every 100 Rockland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
Coastal flooding makes up 10% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
24 places in Rockland on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Rockland.
City in Maine, United States
Rockland is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 6,936. The city is a popular tourist destination. It is a departure point for the Maine State Ferry Service to the islands of Penobscot Bay: Vinalhaven, North Haven and Matinicus.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Rockland.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockland | #94 | C | C− | B− | C | B+ |
| Thomaston | #123 | D | C− | — | C | B |
| Rockport | #26 | A− | D | A− | A | A− |
| Owls Head | — | — | C | — | C | A− |
| South Thomaston | — | — | C+ | — | C | A− |
| Warren | #81 | C+ | C+ | — | C | B |
| North Haven | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Owls Head and South Thomaston have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Thomaston, Owls Head, South Thomaston and Warren report no FBI crime data of their own. North Haven isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Rockland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Rockland grades C overall, better than 29% of U.S. towns and #94 of 142 in Maine. It grades B+ for health, B− for safety and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Maine has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Rockland sits nearer the middle.
Yes. That is 4.6 years of the area's median household income ($74,096 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
11 notable people were born here, including Edna St. Vincent Millay and Edward Lawry Norton.
