Census-designated place · Cumberland County, Maine

Steep Falls, Maine

Steep Falls is a census-designated place in Cumberland County, Maine, part of the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area. It has 1,861 residents. Steep Falls, Maine has a quality-of-life score of 88 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,802 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Maine it ranks #29 of 104 cities and towns. It ranks best on primary care physicians (high), gyms and fitness centers (high) and mental health providers (high). It ranks worst on depression (high), frequent mental distress (high) and drought exposure (high).

88Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,802 of 15,651 cities and towns
Maine: #29 of 104 in ME
Population: 1,861 (2020-2024)
Land area: 10 mi²
Density: 185.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 2373985

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety84#2,432/15,637
Economy73#4,157/15,631
Housing41#8,764/14,977
Health49#7,904/15,609
Healthcare93#1,126/15,650
Environment78#3,343/15,453
Education82#2,895/15,649
Infrastructure54#7,273/15,650
Community93#1,145/15,651
Leisure & amenities98#267/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Steep Falls, Maine ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Cumberland County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Primary care physicians · high168 /100k
99/100Maine 107 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCumberland County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.8 /10k
99/100Maine 1.3 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCumberland County value
Mental health providers · high889 /100k
98/100Maine 586 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCumberland County value
High school diploma or higher · high97.1%
98/100Maine 94.8%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high10.3 /10k
95/100Maine 7.2 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCumberland County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.2 µg/m³
95/100Maine 4.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyCumberland County value

Weaknesses

Depression · high29.6%
4/100Maine 28.4%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Frequent mental distress · high21.6%
7/100Maine 20.4%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Drought exposure · high84%
9/100Maine 75%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAACumberland County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low14.5%
18/100Maine 36.2%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Comfortable days · low23.8%
20/100Maine 21.2%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationCumberland County value
Adult smoking · high17.5%
26/100Maine 16.0%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
1,683 (2015-2019) → 1,861 (2020-2024)
+11%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
42.4% (2015-2019) → 6.8% (2020-2024)
−36 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
51.0% (2017-2021) → 34.5% (2020-2024)
−17 pts3 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Poverty rateImproving
21.7% (2015-2019) → 7.2% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
80.8% (2015-2019) → 66.4% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
24.9% (2015-2019) → 14.5% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Steep Falls, Maine improved on 0 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of Steep Falls, Maine between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	37.3 min2015-2019	30.7 min2020-2024	−6.6 min	Within the margin of error	94%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.9%2015-2019	14.5%2020-2024	−10 points	Within the margin of error	2%
Broadband subscriptions	92.5%2015-2019	87.5%2020-2024	−5.1 points	Within the margin of error	2%
Effective property tax rate	1.04%2015-2019	1.23%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	3%
High school diploma or higher	99.7%2015-2019	97.1%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.6×	Within the margin of error	44%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3162015-2019	0.3262020-2024	+0.009	Within the margin of error	42%
Median household income	$88,0152015-2019	$80,2802020-2024	−8.8%	Within the margin of error	3%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Steep Falls, Maine five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Steep Falls, Maine in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Steep Falls, Maine itself moved −18.1 points in standing on average over the same 8 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,861 residents (±550)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 60–69 men (+13.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,861 residents (±550)

Steep Falls, Maine
Maine share

White100%1,861
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino0.0%0

Education

1,256 residents (±376)

Steep Falls, Maine
Maine share

No high school diploma2.9%†37
High school or GED45%†562
Some college29%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

615 households (±188)

Steep Falls, Maine
Maine share

Under $25k12%†73
$25k–50k22%†134
$50k–75k9.1%†56
$75k–100k29%†178
$100k–150k28%†174
$150k–200k0.0%0
$200k or more0.0%0

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

615 households (±188)

Steep Falls, Maine
Maine share

Own80%†493
Rent20%†122

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

122 households (±80)

Steep Falls, Maine
Maine share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,00048%†59
$1,000–1,5000.0%0

Home values

493 homes (±181)

Steep Falls, Maine
Maine share

Under $150k1.6%†8
$150k–250k55%†272
$250k–400k36%†179

Age of homes

660 homes (±201)

Steep Falls, Maine
Maine share

2010 or later3.5%†23
2000–200918%†117
1980–199918%†117

Size of homes

660 homes (±201)

Steep Falls, Maine
Maine share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom0.0%0
2 bedrooms18%†120

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

877 workers (±358)

Steep Falls, Maine
Maine share

Drive alone91%†794
Carpool5.5%†48
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home4.0%†35
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−14.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

842 workers (±357)

Steep Falls, Maine
Maine share

Under 15 min11%†90
15–29 min14%†119
30–44 min55%†460

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Portland-South Portland, ME

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Cumberland County, the county holding most of Steep Falls's residents.

Cumberland County has 12,242 employer establishments, 393 for every 10,000 residents (1.58× the US rate of 248; 1.27× Maine's), with 190,022 paid employees at an average annual pay of $65,672. The Census Bureau also counts 33,880 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 12,242; 33,880 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 393; US 248 · Maine 309
Paid employees: 190,022
Average annual pay: $65,672; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Cumberland County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	900	28.9	1.39×More than typical	13,447	$88,010	1,955
Specialty trade contractors	864	27.7	1.79×More than typical	6,046	$69,283	2,363
Restaurants and other eating places	838	26.9	1.46×More than typical	13,516	$31,470	117
Lessors of real estate	724	23.2	1.89×More than typical	3,179	$63,168	4,503
Construction of buildings	444	14.2	1.88×More than typical	2,229	$80,154	1,019
Services to buildings and dwellings	443	14.2	2.11×More than typical	2,590	$43,289	1,543
Full-service restaurants	411	13.2	1.72×More than typical	8,061	$35,181	42
Offices of other health practitioners	391	12.5	2.06×More than typical	1,805	$50,407	1,317
Building equipment contractors	368	11.8	1.96×More than typical	3,089	$72,084	423
Real estate agents and brokers	350	11.2	2.31×More than typical	464	$78,843	846
Management, scientific and technical consulting	333	10.7	1.59×More than typical	2,197	$105,449	1,747
Limited-service restaurants	263	8.4	1.05×About typical	3,609	$27,226	56

Rank places for an industry Open Cumberland County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 311,645 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Steep Falls, Maine: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

314FY2017

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Steep Falls, Maine, so they do not add up across cities.

Steep Falls, Maine's figures are part of those of Cumberland County, ME ($461.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Steep Falls is mostly in Cumberland County.

See federal money in Cumberland County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Steep Falls, Maine is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Chellie PingreeD-ME-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 4.4%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Cumberland County98100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Portland-South Portland, ME97

Other cities and towns in Cumberland County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

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