City profile · Maine · Census ACS 2023

South Paris, ME

South Paris's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

2,570
Residents
$56,823
Median income
$186,300
Median home
$1,448
Median rent (state)
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Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.

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Starting with South Paris, ME - add up to three more cities on the compare page.

See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for South Paris.

Place dossier plate

Sheet ME-SOUTH-PARIS-ME · South Paris, ME 2,570 pop · income 30th pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-MID · COL-PAR · SAFE-UNK · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 2,570
  • INC-MID $56,823
  • COL-PAR 97.1
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-LOWER 30th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Morongo Valley
  • HOME-LOW $186,300
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Morongo Valley, CA ( $2 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around South Paris

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest South Paris on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for South Paris on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 2,570.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $56,823. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

South Paris - the verdict

South Paris ranks in the 30th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.

30th
percentile, household income
39th
percentile, home value
69th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: South Paris, ME

2,570 people live in South Paris, Maine - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in South Paris report a median income of $56,823 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 29.8%. Typical homes in South Paris are valued around $186,300, and the median resident age is 38.9 years. Educational attainment runs 17.4% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 58.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Maine tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Maine at 97.1 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Near Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,448 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Maine run around $273, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 56.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of South Paris's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to work and mobility to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For South Paris, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, matched public-school count, local building permits, annual population history; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

Question 1

Which cities make useful reference points for South Paris?

Within Maine, the closest population matches are Hallowell (2,570 residents, $58,811 income); Lincoln (2,576 residents, $33,750 income); Cape Neddick (2,578 residents, $98,113 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Rising Sun, IN (2,570 residents); Loris, SC (2,570 residents); Monroe, UT (2,570 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

2. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in South Paris?

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. The profile is strongly car-oriented, so a relocation comparison should put trip distance, vehicle access, and household fuel costs ahead of a citywide commute average. The same-state peer links offer a more relevant benchmark than a national label.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 87.2%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Compare commute patterns →

Question 3

How far does income reach against housing in South Paris?

The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 29.8%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Population

2,570 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$56,823 /yr

Below median income · poverty 29.8% (Highest-decile poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

97.1 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Maine average

City profile score · South Paris, ME

28/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Cost of living C-
97.1 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Household income F
$56,823

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Bachelor's+ share F
17.4%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Poverty rate F
29.8%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

South Paris profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Cost of living, Household income, Bachelor's+ share, Poverty rate. Cost of livingHousehold incomeBachelor's+ sharePoverty rate 28 F
South Paris profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Cost of living: 53/100 (C-) · 97.1 index
  • Household income: 30/100 (F) · $56,823
  • Bachelor's+ share: 27/100 (F) · 17.4%
  • Poverty rate: 0/100 (F) · 29.8%

How does South Paris compare to other US cities?

South Paris measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.

Household income 30% higher than other cities
Home value 39% pricier than other cities
Median rent 69% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares South Paris against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Maine only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Maine-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places South Paris near the bottom of Maine's cities

Among the 154 Maine cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, South Paris ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares South Paris only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#77 of 145
47th percentile in Maine
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 154
0th percentile in Maine
Median Home Value
#87 of 151
42nd percentile in Maine
Poverty Rate
#3 of 154
98th percentile in Maine
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#118 of 154
23rd percentile in Maine
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Maine only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

30thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

30th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How South Paris's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$186,300 Among the most affordable more affordable than 61% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). This entry sits in this band. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. South Paris $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

South Paris's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.3×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,023 of 15,516
More affordable than 48% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#6,576 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 3.3×, South Paris sits in the moderate band: national rank #8,023 of 15,516 and #6,576 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$56,823 South Paris, ME median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - South Paris, ME South Paris, ME's median household income ($56,823) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not South Paris, ME-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution South Paris, ME median $56,823/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
South Paris, ME median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for South Paris, ME.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 17.4%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 29.8%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 58.5%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
2,570
Median Income
$56,823
Median Home Value
$186,300
Median Age
38.9
Poverty Rate
29.8%
Labor force participation
58.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
17.4%

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
87.2%
Carpool
10.7%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
2.1%

Based on 1,032 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

Maine statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $273

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Maine at $273 (electricity about $130 , water and sewer about $48 ).

These are Maine statewide averages, not a meter reading for South Paris. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Maine's BEA cost-of-living index is 97.1 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around South Paris is $1,448/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Maine statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 56.7 / 100 (Moderate).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a Maine statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county South Paris sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How South Paris compares to similar-size Maine cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
South Paris (this city) 2,570 $56,823
Hallowell 2,570 $58,811
Lincoln 2,576 $33,750
Cape Neddick 2,578 $98,113
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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