Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Searsport grades D overall, 129th among Maine's 142 graded towns, mostly because of schools. Its schools rank behind 82% of the state's. It also has a long history, with 13 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Penobscot Marine Museum and Searsport Historic District. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. Searsport's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 88% of U.S. towns.
Where Searsport beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,208 in 1850, a low of 1,319 in 1940, 2,649 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1840 and 3 maps from 1902 on.
13 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Searsport is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Searsport, 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 Searsport.
Its public schools are run by RSU 20. Two of its 3 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The 3 public schools in Searsport teach 396 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Searsport ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 167 | D |
| Searsport District High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 121 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 2.4%. 69% of households live in a home they own in Searsport. Its median rent is $1,105 a month, where Maine’s towns sit at $1,108 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month.
| Searsport | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 69% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,105 a month | $1,108 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 76.7°, cooler than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 11.3°.
For Searsport, the typical July afternoon high is 77°F. Its January low is 11°F, against 10°F in Maine’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns. About 72 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Searsport | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 77°F | 79°F | 85°F |
| January low | 11°F | 10°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among adults in Searsport, 34% sleep under 7 hours. This Maine town does better than the Maine average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 8. Two figures for adults in the town: 29% have been diagnosed with depression, 14% binge drink.
| Searsport | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| What stands out | Searsport | ME |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.4% | 76.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.9% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Searsport’s average commute is 22 minutes. Most working residents leave Searsport for work: only 12% work in town. In Searsport, 15% of residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Belfast (23%), Bangor (9%) and Bucksport (4%).
| Searsport | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
36% of Searsport’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 22%. On expected storm and flood damage, Searsport sits below 63% of U.S. communities. The town has had one paid flood insurance claim since 2009.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In 7 parks and preserves, walkers have 14 miles of trail. The biggest place to walk is Sears Island Conservation Area, 538 acres with 2.9 miles of trail. The concentration of trails for Searsport comes to 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Searsport | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.7% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sears Island Conservation Area | 2.9 mi | 538 |
| 2. Long Cove Headwaters Preserve | 2.5 mi | 449 |
| 3. Moose Point State Park | 2 mi | 134 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2023. Searsport's reported crime rate is well below Maine's.
| Searsport | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 13.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.8 |
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Searsport
About 4 of every 100 Searsport residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
13 places in Searsport on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Maine, United States
Searsport is an incorporated town and deep water seaport located at the confluence of the Penobscot River estuary and the Penobscot Bay immediately northwest of Sears Island and Cape Jellison in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,649 at the 2020 census. Searsport includes the village and North Searsport and census-designated place of Searsport. The town is known as "the home of the famous sea captains" and the "Antique Capital of Maine".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Searsport.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Searsport | #129 | D | B | — | C− | C |
| Stockton Springs | — | — | C | — | C− | C |
| Belfast | #66 | B− | C | A− | C | B |
| Prospect | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Swanville | — | — | C+ | — | C | B− |
| Islesboro | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Castine | — | — | D | — | — | A |
Stockton Springs, Swanville and Castine have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Searsport, Stockton Springs, Swanville and Castine report no FBI crime data of their own. Prospect and Islesboro aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Searsport with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Searsport grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #129 of 142 in Maine. It grades C for health and C− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.5 years of the area's median household income ($72,782 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.
