Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Saco grades A− overall, 22nd of 142 graded towns in Maine, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $92K and its schools outperform 79% of the state's. It also does better than most on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 79% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $522K for a typical one and 5.7 times the Portland metro’s $92K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 11 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Thacher-Goodale House and A. B. Seavey House. 44% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Saco, above both Maine’s towns (32%) and U.S. towns (29%). The biggest place to walk is Saco Heath Preserve, 1,334 acres with 2.4 miles of trail.
Where Saco beats most towns.
Its founding year, 1630, comes before those of 95% of the Maine towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 1,350 in 1790, 20,381 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1820 and 3 maps from 1949 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 Saco is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Saco. Close and well known come first.
13 mi LighthousePortland Head Light
14 mi LandmarkFort Gorges
in town Theme parkFuntown Splashtown USA35 mi Ancient sitePopham Colony
9 mi MuseumSeashore Trolley Museum
2 mi Theme parkPalace PlaylandPortland Head Light: Aniarku, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Gorges: Dirk Ingo Franke, CC BY 3.0 · Funtown Splashtown USA: Paulec252, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Seashore Trolley Museum: Rene Schwietzke from Jena, Germany, CC BY 2.0 · Palace Playland: Andrew Malone, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Saco, 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 Saco.
Saco has seen reported crime fall by a third or more and gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of Maine; it also has a long record of flood insurance claims.
18% of Saco adults binge drink. Saco beats the Maine average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 9.1% of Saco adults have diabetes.
| Saco | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | Saco | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.4% | 14.8% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 6% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Saco Public Schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| C K Burns SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 641 | B |
| The School at Sweetser PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 3–12 | Grades 3–12 | 50 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
| Saco | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.6% | 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. Saco Heath Preserve | 2.4 mi | 1,334 |
| 2. Horton Woods | 1.9 mi | 96 |
| 3. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge | 1.8 mi | 473 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median property tax bill is $4,807, against $3,036 across Maine, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Saco home is worth about $522,000, up 1.1% in a year, 27% above the Maine typical home.
| Saco | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 73% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,249 a month | $1,106 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
217 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 23 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 217 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Saco.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Portland Intl Jetport weather station, 10 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. The Portland Intl Jetport weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 5 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 79% of Maine places with climate records.
Saco has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Saco is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Saco for work: only 14% work in town. Jobs based in Saco grew to 8,067 in 2023, 1,535 more than in 2013. 19% of workers work from home in Saco.
| Saco | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 19% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 326 to 220 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
Maine has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Saco sits closer to the middle. Saco’s violent crime rate is 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Saco | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (40% statewide). Saco has grown 3.8% since 2020, to 21,159 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 44% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Maine.
| Saco | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 18% | 22% |
| Median age | 44.9 years | 45 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 22% | 18% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.2 points. Across Maine, 50.7% of residents are women. Median age: women 46.0, men 43.3.
| Saco | ME | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.6% | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.2% | 8.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.8% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.3% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.8% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.5% | 15.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.1% | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.4% | 8.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.5% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.9% | 30.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.6% | 18.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.4% | 10.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.7% | 22.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.9% | 13.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
5 within 15 miles of the center of Saco
About 5 of every 100 Saco residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maine.
18,482 counted in 2010 and 20,381 in 2020; an estimated 21,159 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
11 places in Saco on the National Register of Historic Places.
26 notable people were born in Saco.
City in Maine, United States
Saco ( SAH-koh) is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,381 at the 2020 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy and General Dynamics Armament Systems (also known by its former name, Saco Defense), a subsidiary of the defense contractor General Dynamics. Saco sees much tourism during summer months due to its amusement parks, Camp Ellis Beach and Pier, Ferry Beach State Park, and proximity to Old Orchard Beach. Saco is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Saco's twin-city is Biddeford.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Saco.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saco | #22 | A− | C | B | A− | A− |
| Old Orchard Beach | #89 | C | C | B | C | B |
| Biddeford | #115 | C− | C− | C− | C− | B |
| Dayton | — | — | B− | — | B+ | B |
| Scarborough | #12 | A | D | B+ | A | A |
| Buxton | #31 | A− | B− | A− | C+ | A− |
Dayton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Dayton reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Saco with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Saco grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #22 of 142 in Maine. It grades A− for health, B for safety and A− for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Maine has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Saco sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
26 notable people were born here, including Samuel Brannan and Edith Nourse Rogers.
