Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Rumford earns a D−, ranked 139th of 142 in Maine, mostly because of incomes and schools. The median household income is $38K, and 23% of residents live below the poverty line. Its public schools trail 91% of Maine towns on state tests and graduation. It also has a long history, with 11 places on the National Register. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Rumford, against 9% in Maine’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 2 of Maine’s 285 towns score lower on hazard risk. Its National Register listings include Municipal Building and Rumford Point Congregational Church.
Where Rumford beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Strathglass Park District
Edmund Muskie| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Rumford Elementary | PK–4 | 213 |
| Mountain Valley High School | 9–12 | 369 |
Census counts: 262 in 1800, a peak of 10,340 in 1930, 5,858 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1903 and 3 maps from 1927 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Rumford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rumford, 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 Rumford.
Rumford gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is safe by national standards but not by Maine’s; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Maine (mostly inland flooding).
At 2.9 years of the county’s $60K median household income, the typical home (about $177K) costs less against local pay than in 96% of Maine towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living.
The typical Rumford home is worth about $177,000, up 4.2% in a year, 57% below the Maine typical home. The median rent in Rumford is $803 a month.
| Rumford | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $803 a month | $1,108 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by RSU 10. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Mountain Valley High School, with 369 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rumford ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 213 | D− |
| Mountain Valley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 369 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
Against the 1,969 U.S. towns with household incomes like Rumford’s, it is healthier than 54%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its D, from Mexico (C) to Bethel (B−).
19% of adults report frequent physical distress in Rumford. Only 2 of the 143 Maine towns we compare have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Rumford. 20% of adults report frequent mental distress in Rumford.
| Rumford | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 11% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Rumford | ME |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 19.1% | 10.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12.1% | 7.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.3% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
35 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Rumford Whitecap Mountain Preserve, 1,089 acres with 6.5 miles of trail.
| Rumford | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.9% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rumford Whitecap Mountain Preserve | 6.5 mi | 1,089 |
| 2. Pennacook Area Community Trails | 1 mi | 296 |
| 3. Glassface Mountain Conservation Area | 0.6 mi | 43 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Maine towns, with expected losses of about $549 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Rumford’s FEMA risk score is 74 of 100. Since 1981, 52 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Rumford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Rumford 1 Sse weather station, 5 miles away, records that 88 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 77.3°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 6.6°.
Rumford has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Among 143 Maine towns, just 8 have a lower January low than Rumford.
| Rumford | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 77°F | 79°F | 85°F |
| January low | 7°F | 10°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Rumford has about as many jobs (2,161) as working residents, but only 582 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Rumford’s working residents works in town. Of the 143 Maine towns we compare, none has a lower median household income than Rumford. Since 2013, Rumford has lost 315 jobs, to 2,161 in 2023.
| Rumford | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $38,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 23 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 84% of Maine’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rumford. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi MountainMount Washington14 mi Ski areaSunday River146 runs · 2,322 ft vertical
37 mi Ski areaSugarloaf137 runs · 2,769 ft verticalin town Ski areaBlack Mountain of Maine29 runs · 1,227 ft vertical
27 mi Ski areaSaddleback Mountain72 runs · 1,847 ft vertical
37 mi Ski areaWildcat Mountain50 runs · 2,026 ft verticalMount Washington: wwoods, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sugarloaf: Bubblecuffer, Public domain · Saddleback Mountain: petersent, Public domain · Wildcat Mountain: Ken Gallager at en.wikipedia, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Rumford; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Rumford residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
11 places in Rumford on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in Rumford.
Town in Maine, United States
Rumford is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Rumford is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England City and Town Area. The population was 5,858 at the 2020 census. It contains the census-designated place of the same name. Rumford is home to both ND Paper Inc's Rumford Mill and the Black Mountain of Maine ski resort.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Rumford.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rumford | #139 | D− | B− | C+ | D | D |
| Mexico | #131 | D | B | — | D | C |
| Bethel | #134 | D | C | — | C | B− |
| Peru | — | — | A− | — | C− | C+ |
| Roxbury | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Peru has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Mexico, Bethel and Peru report no FBI crime data of their own. Roxbury isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Rumford with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Rumford grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #139 of 142 in Maine. It grades D for health, C+ for safety and D for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Maine has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Rumford sits nearer the middle.
That is 2.9 years of the area's median household income ($60,173 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 B−.
18 notable people were born here, including Edmund Muskie and Frank Churchill.
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