Wales Presbyterian Church, 2018
Wales’s story
Wales in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2018.
Explore the history →
WalesME
A town of 1,673.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,673
2025 Census estimate · +4.4% since 2020
Typical home
$371K
+7.9% in a year
Household income
$77K
median
Median age
35.1
years
Jobs based here
206
A commuter town
Is Wales a good place to live?
Wales’ weakest subject grade is a D for walkability. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Wales, where Maine’s towns sit at 9% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. On walkability, just 22 of Maine’s 285 towns do worse. On history, just 2 of Maine’s 285 towns do worse. Wales has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Wales stand out
Where Wales beats most towns.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Wales for work
Where Wales’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
206jobs based in Wales
2%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Wales grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Wales is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.2 of 20; 1.8% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →SchoolsC−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 24% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →Jobs & income$77K median household incomeC−Open →HealthSt. Mary's Regional Medical Center 6.9 miles awayC+Open →Cost of livingC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors10 miles of trails; 0% conserved landC−Open →HistoryC−Open →Civic life1.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 35.1; 16% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Wales: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wales, and how to reach them.
PowerCentral Maine Power27.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSabattus Sanitary DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Wales’ trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Maine you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereWales Town ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2026
ZIP code0428004280 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Wales.
SchoolsC−
Wales’ schools rank behind 81% of Maine districts
Its public schools are run by RSU 04. Its one school is below. The largest public high school is Oak Hill High School, with 408 students.
19%of ME districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Hill High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 408 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
A smaller share of working residents in Wales work locally than in the typical Maine or U.S. town
1.9% of working residents work locally in Wales, below both Maine’s towns (12%) and U.S. towns (8%). Jobs based in Wales fell to 206 in 2023, 38 fewer than in 2013. Wales’ average trip to work is 28 minutes.
2%work in town
| Wales | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 12% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Wales2%
Lewiston22%
Auburn12%
Portland7%
Augusta7%
15 mi
median commute distance
206
jobs based in Wales
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 8% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Low risk in Wales, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wales.
24risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesIce storms
2
paid flood claims since 2008
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Wales has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Wales has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Wales is 79°F.
65″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter14–32°
Spring32–53°
Summer56–77°
Fall39–58°
Oct 19
typical first frost
Apr 25
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
On CDC estimates, Wales is less healthy than 64% of U.S. towns
Wales beats the Maine average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 30% of Wales adults have been diagnosed with depression.
36%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Wales | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Maine
1 better26 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Wales | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 8.8% | 9.9% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 12.1% | 9.8% |
St. Mary's Regional Medical Center
In Lewiston · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: dental
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade C+
A typical Wales home is worth about $371K
The typical Wales home is worth about $371,000, up 7.9% in a year, 10% below the Maine typical home. 91% of households own their home in Wales.
$371KZillow home value
| Wales | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 91% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,154 a month | $1,106 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Wales$371K
Maine$412K
+7.9%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.5%conserved
| Wales | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.5% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
0.5%
conserved · 57 of 10,697 acres
9.5 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wales Municipal Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 46 attractions →Portland Head Light and 26 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wales. Close and well known come first.
37 mi LighthousePortland Head Light31 mi Ancient sitePopham Colony
35 mi LandmarkFort Gorges
35 mi LighthousePemaquid Point Light31 mi LandmarkSpirit Pond runestones
35 mi MuseumMaine Narrow Gauge Railroad MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Portland Head Light: Aniarku, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Gorges: Dirk Ingo Franke, CC BY 3.0 · Pemaquid Point Light: WestportWiki, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum: No machine-readable author provided. Gwernol assumed (based on copyright claims), CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Wales
18pages on Wales
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Wales
Bates CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Lewiston7.7 mi$66,590 tuitionMaine College of Health ProfessionsUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Lewiston8.4 mi$20,952 tuitionCentral Maine Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Auburn8.7 mi$4,140 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Wales residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maine.
About Wales
Town in Maine, United States
Wales is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,608 at the 2020 census. It is included in both the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan New England City and Town Area. The town is home to the Wales Airport. The regional Oak Hill High School opened in Wales in 1976.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 17 sq mi
- Elevation
- 276 ft
- Area code
- 207
Wales’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Wales.
GreeneSabattusMonmouthLitchfieldWales
How the neighbors grade
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | — | — | C+ | — | C− | C+ |
| Greene | #117 | C− | C | — | B− | C |
| Sabattus | #58 | B | B+ | A | C− | C+ |
| Monmouth | #46 | B | C− | A+ | B | B+ |
| Litchfield | #91 | C | B− | — | C− | B− |
Wales has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Wales, Greene and Litchfield report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Wales with a neighbor →
Questions about Wales
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Wales, ME expensive?
That is 5.5 years of the area's median household income ($67,873 across the Lewiston-Auburn, ME metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.