Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
One weak subject stands out against an otherwise good record. Its strongest is walkability (A+): it is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns. South Portland grades B overall, better than 62% of U.S. towns, and ranks 52nd of 142 in Maine. Health is a strength too: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 85% of the country. The drawback is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $519K, 5.6 years of the Portland metro’s $92K median household income. It also trails on schools (C+) — its public schools trail 62% of Maine towns on state tests and graduation. The town’s concentration of trails is 1.1 miles per square mile, above both Maine’s towns (0.7) and U.S. towns (0.4). This Maine town is home to Southern Maine Community College.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · OpenStreetMap.
Where South Portland beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far South Portland is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 9%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 6,287 in 1900, 26,498 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 5 maps from 1893 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Portland. Close and well known come first.
4 mi LighthousePortland Head Light
4 mi LandmarkFort Gorges26 mi Ancient sitePopham Colony
2 mi MuseumPortland Museum of Art
3 mi MuseumMaine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum
10 mi Theme parkFuntown Splashtown USAPortland Head Light: Aniarku, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Gorges: Dirk Ingo Franke, CC BY 3.0 · Portland Museum of Art: John Phelan, CC BY 3.0 · Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum: No machine-readable author provided. Gwernol assumed (based on copyright claims), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Funtown Splashtown USA: Paulec252, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Portland, 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 South Portland.
South Portland draws workers from Portland and beyond, has less tooth loss than most of Maine and gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of Maine.
Wainwright Recreation Complex, at 144 acres with 2.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Count the trails in 22 parks and preserves and they come to 16 miles.
| South Portland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 4.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wainwright Recreation Complex | 2.4 mi | 144 |
| 2. Hinckley Park | 1.9 mi | 43 |
| 3. Mill Creek Park | 0.5 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Public schools: the South Portland Public Schools. Of its 12 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Portland Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 807 | – |
| South Portland High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 928 | B |
| Dora L Small Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 193 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
24,372 jobs are based in South Portland, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17.1 minutes, against 24.6 across Maine.
Jobs in South Portland grew by 1,217 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 24,372. One in 5 of the town’s working residents works locally. The average commute for South Portland comes to 17 minutes. Half commute less than 4 miles.
| South Portland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 12% | 8% |
| Work from home | 20% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.9% | 9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with Maine is tooth loss: 9.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.8% statewide.
The share of adults in South Portland who sleep under 7 hours: 31%. Among 143 Maine towns, just 9 have a lower share of adults who report frequent physical distress than South Portland. In South Portland, 18% of adults get no exercise outside work, and 8.7% have diabetes. This Maine town beats the Maine average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| South Portland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 23% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 11% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | South Portland | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.4% | 14.8% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 6% | 8.4% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 72.5% | 76.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Compared with four fifths of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in South Portland is lower. Federal aid has come to South Portland households in 13 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024. 32% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 24%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among 143 Maine towns, just 10 have a lower owner-occupancy rate than South Portland. The town’s midpoint rent stands at $1,812 a month. Typical home values rose 3.4% in the year to September 2026. On the market here: a median 25 days to sell.
| South Portland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,812 a month | $1,106 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 58% | 81% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Portland Intl Jetport weather station 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 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.
In South Portland, the typical July afternoon high is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 343 to 301 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Maine has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns South Portland sits closer to the middle. The town’s property crime rate comes in at 10.6 per 1,000 residents.
| South Portland | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 0.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
4 within 15 miles of the center of South Portland
About 8 of every 100 South Portland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
Where South Portland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in South Portland on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in South Portland.
City in Maine, United States
South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-most populous city in the state, incorporated in 1898. At the 2020 census, the city population was 26,498. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of Portland and the islands of Casco Bay. Due to South Portland's close proximity to air, marine, rail, and highway transportation options, the city has become a center for retail and industry in the region. The Maine Mall, the largest shopping mall in the state, is located in South Portland. It is also a designated Tree City USA community. Despite the name, South Portland was never part of the c…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with South Portland.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Portland | #52 | B | D | B | C+ | A− |
| Portland | #102 | C | D | C | D | A |
| Cape Elizabeth | #3 | A+ | D | A+ | A+ | A+ |
| Scarborough | #12 | A | D | B+ | A | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. South Portland grades B overall, better than 62% of U.S. towns and #52 of 142 in Maine. It grades A− for health, B for safety and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Maine has less crime than most states, so among its own towns South Portland sits nearer the middle.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
3 notable people were born here, including Peter Buck and James C. Oliver.
