It should come as no surprise that Maine is one of the safest states in the country. In fact, in New England, it ranks #1 in terms of safety, followed closely by New Hampshire. While we love feeling safe where we live, it’s nice to know that our feelings are backed up by facts. In the 2021 Safest Cities report put together by Safewise, we have a clear picture of just which of our towns are the safest. If you want to make sure you have complete peace of mind when it comes to your safety you may want to consider moving to these towns!
If you’re curious about the state of safety here in Maine, you’ll be pleased to see that Safewise recently released their Safest Cities in Maine list.
dougtone / Flickr
Topping the list as the #1 safest city in the state is Cumberland. That’s following in order by the next nine which are: Sabattus, Cape Elizabeth, Yarmouth, Hampden, South Berwick, Belfast, Kennebunk, Gorham and Bar Harbor.
nhoulihan / Flickr
Even those who don’t live in one of these 10 towns are likely to feel fairly safe. In fact, 77% of those surveyed in Maine report feeling safe where they live. That’s a great statistic considering that the national average is just 55%.
nhoulihan / Flickr
Most Mainers who were questioned reported that their largest safety concerns relate to violent crime, property crime, package theft and gun violence. Still, Mainers do seem to worry about these things less than the nation on average. For instance, the percent of people worried about property crime in the nation overall is about 42%, while only about 31% of Mainers have the same fear.
dougtone / Flickr
Despite seeing lower crime rates than the rest of the country, Maine is not without its issues. We do see violent crime and, of that reported, aggravated assault was the most common type. In fact, 55% of the violent crime here in Maine was of that variety. Compared to the national average of about 68% that might seem low, but it’s an important issue to those living here.
dana_moos / Flickr
Property crime in Maine has been 15 per 1,000 residents from 2019 to 2021, which is low compared to the national average of 21 incidents of property crime per 1,000 residents.
nhoulihan / Flickr
Nonetheless, 54% of Mainers report using some form of protection for their property. Interestingly, guard dogs were the most popular method of protection! Hopefully most of these pups are a bit more daunting than the furry friend pictured here.
carlbcampbell / Flickr
While it’s clear that Maine had crime, it’s nice to know that levels are below the national average. But that’s not surprisingly when you consider that we’ve got towns, like Cumberland which is #1 this year, that have reported zero violent crimes over the last year.
matthewpaulson / Flickr Living in any town in Maine is special, but it’s even nicer knowing that we can feel a bit more safe here than we might in another place.
Have you experienced crime in any of the cities included on this list? Did any place come as a surprise to you? Share your thoughts in the comments section on Facebook so we can see how Mainers feel.
dougtone / Flickr
nhoulihan / Flickr
dana_moos / Flickr
carlbcampbell / Flickr
matthewpaulson / Flickr
Living in any town in Maine is special, but it’s even nicer knowing that we can feel a bit more safe here than we might in another place.
Maybe safety isn’t your biggest concern. For some, living in a place that feels perfect for them is enough. For that, here are 10 towns in Maine that aren’t big and aren’t too small. They’re just right!
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Address: Cumberland, ME, USAAddress: Sabattus, ME 04280, USAAddress: Cape Elizabeth, ME, USAAddress: Yarmouth, ME, USAAddress: Hampden, ME, USAAddress: South Berwick, ME 03908, USAAddress: Belfast, ME 04915, USAAddress: Kennebunk, ME 04043, USAAddress: Gorham, ME, USAAddress: Bar Harbor, ME, USA
