Where Everybody Knows Everybody: Maine’s 20 Smallest Towns

Let’s be honest—when discussing Maine, the conversation almost always comes back to the popular hotspots.

Areas like Greater Portland, the Midcoast, coastal York County, Bangor, and the Lewiston/Auburn area get most of the attention. But Maine is much more than that, and this feels like a great time to highlight it. It’s time to show some love to Maine’s tiny gems.

Census Data Gives a Great Look into Maine's Makeup

While researching Census data for a project, I came across countless Maine towns with populations of fewer than 200. It was incredibly fascinating to see. I’m not talking about plantations or unincorporated areas, but actual incorporated towns. There are more people in line at the grocery store than live in some of these places.

To put that tiny number into perspective, I grew up in Southern Maine. When I was a kid, I considered towns like Buxton and Standish small. Compared to these tiny communities, those towns are like New York City.

What are the Least Populated Towns in Maine?

I became fascinated with these towns, so I decided to put together a list of the 20 least populated in Maine. Now it’s a goal of mine to visit all of them. I learned a great deal just by compiling the list. These towns might be small in size, but they’re big in history—and as we all know, size isn’t everything.

How many of these towns have you been to?

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A quick note: these numbers are from the 2020 Census. Only communities designated as towns were included.