Maine’s Population Data Confirms It’s the Most Rural State in the U.S.

It’s always quite fascinating to look at a map of Maine.

It’s quite something to realize how much of the state is simply empty. It’s like looking at Antarctica.

I’ve spent the majority of my life living in Greater Portland and watching it steadily grow. It’s far from a major metropolis, but it certainly doesn’t seem too rural. While you can still find pockets of farmland and open space, it’s increasingly surrounded by massive development projects. There will likely be three new condo buildings finished by the time you read this article.

Still, Greater Portland, Lewiston/Auburn, Bangor, the southern coast, and other populous areas make up just a small slice of Maine’s pie. The majority of the state is basically just pine trees and wildlife. I mean, we still have territories named T2R9 — you’re not going to find that in every state.

Maine is still a very rural place. From acres of farmland to small communities where everyone knows your name, the state has managed to maintain its roots over the decades.

How Rural is Maine Compared to Other States?

So, just how rural is Maine? Well, really rural. In fact, according to the popular site TheTravel.com, Maine is actually the most rural state in America.

While this may come as a bit of a surprise, TheTravel.com backs it up with two major stats. The first is that Maine is still over 50% uninhabited, and over 60% of the population technically lives in rural areas.

Now, the uninhabited statistic makes a whole lot of sense. Again, just look at a map and you will see why.

As for the rural population numbers, that takes a little explanation.

What Makes Maine Such a Rural State?

The U.S. Census considers any population area with fewer than 50,000 people to be rural. And considering the majority of Mainers live in these regions (61.5% according to the Census), we’re talking about a state that is, in fact, very rural. Even more so than a state like Alaska, where much of it is largely uninhabited, but the majority of the population is technically in urban areas.

READ MORE: Maine’s Acadia Climbs to 7th Most Popular U.S. National Park

So, no matter how much the coast continues to develop, there’s a great chance this wonderful state will stay quite rural for at least a few more generations. Well, unless some wacky entrepreneur decides to buy up millions of acres of land and open a theme park that ultimately turns into a worldwide destination for all to enjoy. But I’m not too concerned about that.