Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Wiscasset grades C− overall, ranked 119th of 142 in Maine, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. On the other side, its public schools trail 93% of Maine towns on state tests and graduation. It also does better than most on safety: crime is low: it reports less per resident than 65% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $384K, 5 years of the county’s $77K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Nickels-Sortwell House and Wiscasset Jail and Museum. 14% of residents are under 18 in Wiscasset, below both the Maine town median (18%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). Eaton Farm Preserve, at 200 acres with 1.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Wiscasset beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Nickels-Sortwell House| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Wiscasset Elementary School | PK–5 | 166 |
| Wiscasset Middle/High School | 6–12 | 198 |
| Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki | 11 | 33 |
Nickels-Sortwell House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 2,055 in 1790, a low of 1,186 in 1930, 3,742 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1870 and 4 maps from 1893 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Wiscasset is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wiscasset. Close and well known come first.
37 mi LighthousePortland Head Light
36 mi LandmarkFort Gorges
15 mi LighthousePemaquid Point Light
10 mi GardenCoastal Maine Botanical Gardens19 mi LandmarkSpirit Pond runestonesPortland 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 · Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: CMBG editor, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wiscasset, 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 Wiscasset.
Wiscasset gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, but it trails Newcastle and its other neighbors on schools.
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, Newcastle highest at A−.
Its public schools are run by the Wiscasset Public Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wiscasset Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 166 | – |
| Wiscasset Middle/High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 198 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Wiscasset for work: only 13% work in town. Since 2013, Wiscasset has lost 146 jobs, to 1,178 in 2023. 5.7% of residents live below the poverty line in Wiscasset.
| Wiscasset | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
12 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves.
| Wiscasset | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.8% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Eaton Farm Preserve | 1.8 mi | 200 |
| 2. Sortwell Memorial Forest | 1.3 mi | 97 |
| 3. Cushman Preserve | — | 105 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Newcastle weather station, 8 miles away, records that 79 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Wiscasset has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Wiscasset’s July high is 78°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Maine has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Wiscasset sits closer to the middle.
| Wiscasset | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.2 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 0.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The median age in Wiscasset is 48.8 years. Wiscasset has grown 6.6% since 2020, to 3,998 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 37% of Wiscasset adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Wiscasset | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 48.8 years | 44.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 32% | 29% |
44% women, 56% men
About 126 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.9 points). Across Maine, 50.7% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 100% are men (ME 51%).
| Wiscasset | ME | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.1% | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.6% | 8.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.8% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.2% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.9% | 15.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18% | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10% | 8.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.8% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.7% | 30.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.8% | 18.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.1% | 10.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.2% | 22.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.3% | 13.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,000, single groups can be off by several points
Wiscasset beats the Maine average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Wiscasset | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 81% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Wiscasset | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.7% | 14.8% |
| More adults with arthritis | 35.1% | 32% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Wiscasset home is worth about $384,000, up 0.8% in a year, 7% below the Maine typical home.
| Wiscasset | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,518 a month | $1,106 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 83% | 81% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Wiscasset; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Wiscasset residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
Coastal flooding makes up 10% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
6 places in Wiscasset on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Wiscasset.
Town in Maine, United States
Wiscasset is a town in and the seat of Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The municipality is located in the state of Maine's Mid Coast region. The population was 3,742 as of the 2020 census. It contains the census-designated place of the same name. Home to the Chewonki Foundation, Wiscasset is a tourist destination noted for early architecture and as the location of Red's Eats restaurant.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Wiscasset.
| Town | ME rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wiscasset | #119 | C− | C− | B+ | D | B |
| Woolwich | #19 | A− | B+ | — | B+ | A− |
| Alna | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Westport Island | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Edgecomb | — | — | C | — | B− | B+ |
| Newcastle | — | — | D | — | A− | B+ |
| Dresden | — | — | C+ | — | B | B |
Edgecomb, Newcastle and Dresden have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Woolwich, Edgecomb, Newcastle and Dresden report no FBI crime data of their own. Alna and Westport Island aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wiscasset with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Wiscasset grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #119 of 142 in Maine. It grades B for health, B+ for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Maine has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Wiscasset 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 C−.
10 notable people were born here, including Juliana Hatfield and Hugh J. Anderson.
