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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

South Portland, ME
Real Estate & Demographic Data






South Portland profile


Living in South Portland



South Portland is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Maine. With a population of 27,026 people and seven constituent neighborhoods, South Portland is the fourth largest community in Maine. South Portland has an unusually large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities.

South Portland real estate is some of the most expensive in Maine, although South Portland house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

Also of interest is that South Portland has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 10.50% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

One of the nice things about South Portland is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

The citizens of South Portland are among the most well-educated in the nation: 46.27% of adults in South Portland have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree, whereas the average US city has 21.84% holding at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in South Portland in 2018 was $42,822, which is wealthy relative to Maine and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $171,288 for a family of four. However, South Portland contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

South Portland is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call South Portland home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of South Portland residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in South Portland include English, Irish, French, Italian, and German.

The most common language spoken in South Portland is English. Other important languages spoken here include African languages and Slavic languages.