The smallest incorporated town in Maine is Frenchboro, with 29 residents in the 2020 census. If plantations count too, the smallest municipality is Glenwood Plantation in Aroostook County, with 5. The table we used also lists Hibberts Gore, a gore rather than a town or plantation, with 1.
The 20 smallest incorporated towns in Maine all had 102 people or fewer in 2020, and the smallest plantations were smaller still.
Smallest towns in Maine at a glance
- Smallest town: Frenchboro, Hancock County, 29 people (61 in 2010).
- Next smallest town: Frye Island, Cumberland County, 32 people.
- Smallest municipality (plantations included): Glenwood Plantation, Aroostook County, 5 people.
- Smallest place listed at all: Hibberts Gore, 1 person, listed as a gore.
- Source: 2020 census figures as compiled in a Maine Department of Environmental Protection table.
The 20 smallest incorporated towns in Maine
These are places with the official status of a town, ranked by 2020 population. The 2010 count is in parentheses. Ties are listed alphabetically.
- 1. Frenchboro: 29 (61)
- 2. Frye Island: 32
- 3. Bancroft: 57 (68)
- 4. Beddington: 60 (50)
- 5. Great Pond: 61 (58)
- 6. Osborn: 65 (67)
- 7. Waite: 66 (101)
- 8. Upton: 69 (113)
- 9. Talmadge: 70 (64)
- 10. Hersey: 73 (83)
- 11. Deblois: 74 (57)
- 12. Westmanland: 79 (62)
- 13. Caratunk: 81 (69)
- 14. Maxfield: 89 (97)
- 15. Hammond: 91 (118)
- 16. Isle au Haut: 92 (73)
- 17. Aurora: 93 (114)
- 18. Crawford: 93 (105)
- 19. Haynesville: 97 (121)
- 20. Vanceboro: 102 (140)
Frye Island has no 2010 figure here. The table prints 5 for 2010, which looks out of line with the 2020 count, and we have no second source for it, so we show only the 2020 number.
Smallest municipalities if plantations count
Many lists skip plantations, which is why a plantation, not a town, holds the record. Here are the 20 smallest places that are towns, plantations or the one gore in the table, with the type in brackets.
- 1. Hibberts Gore: 1 (gore)
- 2. Glenwood: 5 (plantation)
- 3. Codyville: 13 (plantation)
- 4. Drew: 26 (plantation)
- 5. Nashville: 27 (plantation)
- 6. Kingsbury: 28 (plantation)
- 7. Frenchboro: 29 (town)
- 8. Frye Island: 32 (town)
- 9. Seboeis: 40 (plantation)
- 10. Lincoln: 41 (plantation)
- 11. Moro: 44 (plantation)
- 12. Magalloway: 45 (plantation)
- 13. The Forks: 48 (plantation)
- 14. Highland: 52 (plantation)
- 15. Matinicus Isle: 53 (plantation)
- 16. Bancroft: 57 (town)
- 17. West Forks: 58 (plantation)
- 18. Beddington: 60 (town)
- 19. Dennistown: 61 (plantation)
- 20. Great Pond: 61 (town)
The same table lists 34 unorganized territories, which have no town government. We left them out of the rankings. The smallest, Northwest Hancock, had 2 people in 2020.
Town, plantation, gore: what is the difference?
- Town: a fully incorporated municipality, with its own local government.
- Plantation: an organized place with limited local government. Plantations are usually small and rural, and many have stayed plantations rather than becoming towns.
- Gore: a leftover strip of land between surveyed townships. The table lists Hibberts Gore as its own entry.
- Unorganized territory: land with no municipal government at all.
Definitions are general, and we have not checked them against the statutes. For legal questions, go to the Maine Legislature’s municipal statutes or the Maine Municipal Association.
Which small places are shrinking and which are growing
Comparing the 2010 and 2020 counts in the same table, among places with fewer than 150 people:
- Frenchboro: 61 to 29, a drop of 52 percent.
- Upton: 113 to 69, down 39 percent.
- Waite: 101 to 66, down 35 percent.
- Byron: 145 to 103, down 29 percent.
- Deblois: 57 to 74, up 30 percent.
- Westmanland: 62 to 79, up 27 percent.
- Isle au Haut: 73 to 92, up 26 percent.
- Dennistown Plantation: 33 to 61, up 85 percent.
With populations this small, a few households moving in or out can swing the percentage a lot. We would not read a trend into one decade.
Small places you can visit
Three of the places above are island communities reached by boat: Monhegan, Matinicus Isle and Isle au Haut, and the Isle au Haut mailboat leaves from Stonington. Our Maine ferry guide covers the main ferry routes. We also have a Monhegan guide. Caratunk, on the Kennebec River, is a stop on the Appalachian Trail, and The Forks and West Forks are known for whitewater rafting. Check schedules and seasons before you plan a trip, because services in places this small can be limited.
Smallest towns in Maine FAQ
What is the smallest town in Maine?
Frenchboro, in Hancock County, with 29 people in the 2020 census, according to the Maine DEP table we used. If you count plantations, Glenwood Plantation in Aroostook County is smaller at 5.
How many people live in Maine’s smallest towns?
The 20 smallest incorporated towns each had between 29 and 102 residents in 2020.
Why do some Maine places have fewer than 20 people?
Most of the very smallest are plantations or a gore, not towns, and the table also lists unorganized territories with a handful of residents. We have not looked into the reasons for each.
Is the 2020 census the latest count?
It is the latest full count in the table we used. The Census Bureau publishes yearly estimates, and the numbers for places this small can change from one release to the next.
Thinking about living in a small Maine town? See our Moving to Maine guide and browse openings at JobsInMaine.com.
Our details come from a Maine Department of Environmental Protection table of 2010 and 2020 census data, cross-checked against Wikipedia’s list of municipalities in Maine. The 2020 figures matched for every place we compared. We ranked by the 2020 column and listed ties alphabetically. Checked November 9, 2026. Counts can be revised, so confirm anything important with the Census Bureau.