These Are The 10 Most Miserable Cities In Maine

Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Maine?

According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in Maine – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.

But, we were curious – which Maine cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.

After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Pine Tree State:

1. Farmington
2. Lewiston (Photos)
3. Old Orchard Beach (Photos)
4. Portland (Photos)
5. Bangor (Photos)
6. Lincoln
7. Waterville (Photos)
8. Farmingdale
9. Madison
10. Orono

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.

Oh, and by the way, Kennebunk is the happiest place in Maine.

Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.

If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.

How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In Maine

In order to rank the unhappiest places in Maine, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.

So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:

• Percentage of residents with a college degree
• Average commute times
• Unemployment rates
• Cost of living
• % of married couples
• % of home owners
• Poverty rate

After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in Maine with over 2,000 people.

We then ranked each place from one to 43 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).

Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In Maine’.

If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.

1. Farmington

Population: 4,142
People Who Own Their Home: 32.78%
Married Adults: 26.82%

2. Lewiston

Population: 36,410
People Who Own Their Home: 43.65%
Married Adults: 39.97%

3. Old Orchard Beach

Population: 8,679
People Who Own Their Home: 35.35%
Married Adults: 43.93%

4. Portland

Population: 66,317
People Who Own Their Home: 39.68%
Married Adults: 36.18%

5. Bangor

Population: 32,800
People Who Own Their Home: 40.12%
Married Adults: 34.98%

6. Lincoln

Population: 2,947
People Who Own Their Home: 46.9%
Married Adults: 39.28%

7. Waterville

Population: 15,886
People Who Own Their Home: 41.72%
Married Adults: 35.56%

8. Farmingdale

Population: 2,056
People Who Own Their Home: 57.99%
Married Adults: 39.72%

9. Madison

Population: 2,648
People Who Own Their Home: 56.03%
Married Adults: 45.31%

10. Orono

Population: 9,514
People Who Own Their Home: 37.53%
Married Adults: 20.08%

There You Have It

Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more Maine reading , check out:

• These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In Maine
• These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Maine
• These Are The 10 Snobbiest Places In Maine

Detailed List Of Miserable Places In Maine

City	Rank	People Who Own Their Home
Farmington	1	32.78%
Lewiston	2	43.65%
Old Orchard Beach	3	35.35%
Portland	4	39.68%
Bangor	5	40.12%
Lincoln	6	46.9%
Waterville	7	41.72%
Farmingdale	8	57.99%
Madison	9	56.03%
Orono	10	37.53%
Ellsworth	11	48.81%
Biddeford	12	40.71%
Augusta	13	46.87%
Houlton	14	47.99%
Old Town	15	49.43%
Richmond	16	57.83%
Belfast	17	53.63%
Bath	18	48.94%
Auburn	19	51.53%
Fairfield	20	59.47%
Skowhegan	21	50.74%
Pittsfield	22	56.23%
Westbrook	23	58.65%
Rockland	24	52.77%
Thomaston	25	57.64%
Presque Isle	26	51.15%
Saco	27	57.79%
Brunswick	28	57.39%
Berwick	29	63.98%
Camden	30	51.48%
Lake Arrowhead	31	64.9%
South Portland	32	57.01%
Gardiner	33	58.29%
Milford	34	63.12%
Oakland	35	52.91%
Winslow	36	69.01%
Gorham	37	66.32%
Caribou	38	58.94%
Brewer	39	58.23%
Yarmouth	40	65.15%
Topsham	41	66.36%
Falmouth	42	56.06%
Kennebunk	43	57.79%