Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Maine?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
So we wanted to get the facts straight and dug into the FBI crime data in order to identify the places with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita in Maine.
The result is the Murder Capitals of the Pine Tree State for 2020:
- Bangor (Photos)
- Lewiston (Photos)
- Bar Harbor (Photos)
- Hampden (Photos)
- Portland (Photos)
- Saco (Photos)
- Sanford
The city with highest murder rate in Maine? That would be Bar Harbor with 18.3 murders per 100,000 people.
While the city with highest number of murders period? Bangor with 4.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. There were ‘only’ 7 cities in Maine where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 48 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Pine Tree State check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In Maine
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Maine
- 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Maine
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Maine For 2020
Bangor is a city along the Penobscot River in the U.S. state of Maine. The city proper has a population of 33,039, while the Bangor metropolitan area has a population of 153,746. Bangor is known as the “Queen City” of Maine.
Lewiston is the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County. The city borders the coastal sideways of the Gulf of Maine and is south of Augusta, the state’s capital and north of Portland, the cultural hub of Maine. It is one-half of the Lewiston-Auburn Metropolitan Statistical Area, commonly referred to as “L.A.” or “L-A.” Lewiston exerts a significant impact upon the diversity, religious variety, commerce, education, and economic power of Maine. It is known for a relatively low cost of living, substantial access to medical care, and an extremely low violent crime rate. While the dominant language spoken in the city is English, it is home to the largest French-speaking population in the United States while it is second to St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, in percentage of speakers.
Portland is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine, with a population of 66,937 as of 2016. This makes it the fourth least populous city in the U.S. to be the most populous in its state. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, more than one-third of Maine’s total population. The Old Port district is frequented by tourists, while Portland Head Light is also a destination. The city seal depicts a phoenix rising from ashes, which is a reference to the recoveries from four devastating fires. Portland was named after the English Isle of Portland, and the city of Portland, Oregon, was in turn named after Portland, Maine.
Saco is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 18,482 at the 2010 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as General Dynamics Armament Systems, a subsidiary of the defense contractor General Dynamics. Saco sees much tourism during summer months, due to its amusement parks, Ferry Beach State Park, and proximity to Old Orchard Beach.
7. Sanford
Population: 21,062
Rank Last Year: 7
Murders: 1 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 4.7 (6th Most)
More on Sanford: | Photos
How we calculated the murder capitals of Maine
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report which summarizes the number of murders that may happen in each city per year.
We only looked every single city in Maine for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 7 cities to rank.
Finally, we averaged the two scores into an index:
- The raw number of murders in each city
- The murders per person
We felt as if a small place with 2,500 people and two murders makes it a lot more dangerous than a city of 25,000 people with three murders. Any ties went to the larger city. You can download the data here.
We must note that this report is not an analysis of the effectiveness of local police departments. It simply states where murders occurred most frequently on an absolute and rate basis.
There You Have It – The Places With The Most Murders In Maine For 2020
If you’re looking at the places in Maine with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
For more maine reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Maine
- These Are The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Maine
- 10 Safest Places In Maine
- 10 Best Cities For Singles In Maine
- 10 Worst Places To Live In Maine
Detailed List Of The Places With The Most Murder In Maine For 2020
| Rank | City | Murders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangor, ME | 4.0 |
| 2 | Lewiston, ME | 2.0 |
| 3 | Bar Harbor, ME | 1.0 |
| 4 | Hampden, ME | 1.0 |
| 5 | Portland, ME | 2.0 |
| 6 | Saco, ME | 1.0 |
| 7 | Sanford, ME | 1.0 |
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