Dating in Maine: How to Meet People Beyond Your Small Town

Maine has about 1.4 million people and 482 cities, towns and plantations, and most of those places are small: 412 of them (85%) have fewer than 5,000 people, and 197 have fewer than 1,000. If you live in one, you already know what dating close to home looks like: you've met most of the single people you'd consider, or you know someone who has.

This page is for everyone in those towns. It covers why the big dating apps make a small town's dating pool even smaller, how Amarbis lets you meet people across all of Maine instead, and, further down, every city or town in Maine by county.

Maine by town size

Size of place	Places	People
Under 1,000	197	81,000
1,000 to 4,999	215	485,000
5,000 to 24,999	65	644,000
25,000 or more	5	194,000

The typical Maine city or town has about 1,300 people. Its 5 places of 25,000 or more, led by Portland (70,000), Lewiston (39,000) and Bangor (33,000), are home to about 194,000 of the state's 1.4 million people; everyone else lives in the smaller towns.

Why dating close to home runs out in small-town Maine

Dating apps that sort by distance start with the people nearest you. In a small Maine town that's a short list, and it doesn't take long to see all of it. A few examples:

Jackman (about 799 people): 4 other places with 352 people between them within 30 miles, and the nearest place of 25,000 or more is Bangor, 87 miles away.
Eustis (about 672 people): 16 other places with 6,300 people between them within 30 miles, and the nearest place of 25,000 or more is Auburn, 77 miles away.
Carrabassett Valley (about 711 people): 29 other places with 29,000 people between them within 30 miles, and the nearest place of 25,000 or more is Lewiston, 68 miles away.

The point stands across the state: a distance-ranked app fills a small-town deck with the same few faces, and the bigger pools are a long drive away.

Why the nearest city is out of reach on the big apps

Dating in a small town is hard, and meeting someone in the nearest city can be harder. Many dating apps lean on distance to decide who you see, and Tinuiti's analysis of Tinder's algorithm says proximity is a key factor in who it shows you. When someone in Portland or Lewiston opens a distance-ranked app, the people who live near them come first. You live farther away, so you land behind their neighbors in their deck, whatever your photos and profile say.

That's the small-town problem twice over: at home you keep seeing the same people, and in the city you're barely seen.

How Amarbis is different

You choose your region

On Amarbis you choose the region you meet people from instead of being limited to whoever lives closest. Choose Maine and your pool is the whole state, about 1.4 million people, whether you live in Portland or a town of a few hundred. A member in a town of 1,000 has the same state-wide pool as a member in Portland.

Ranking isn't based on distance

On Amarbis, ranking isn't based on distance. Choose Maine as your region and the person you'd like to meet in Portland isn't shown their next-door neighbor ahead of you because of where you live. It's the opposite of the proximity problem above, and it matters most to the people the big apps leave behind.

No distance limits, and the whole world if you want it

Amarbis has no distance limits, so you aren't limited to Maine either. You can widen your region to the neighboring states or meet someone in another country: Amarbis is an international dating app, the app speaks more than 50 languages, and built-in chat translation helps when you don't share one. The miles only matter once you both want to meet.

Real people, reviewed by real people

Every member has a real face photo, photos are screened before anyone sees them, and every profile on Amarbis is reviewed by a real person. When your local pool is small, every fake or abandoned profile takes up a bigger share of what you see, so that review step is worth more in a small town than in a big city.

Free to join

Joining is free, with no credit card. The free plan gives you 25 likes a day and unlimited messaging with your matches, so you can find out whether Amarbis works for your town before you pay anything. See plans and pricing for what the paid plans add.

How to start from a small town in Maine

Sign up free and build a profile that sounds like you: a clear photo of your face and one specific thing about life in your town. Our profile tips show what works.
Set your region to Maine, or wider if you like.
Message first. One good question about where someone lives works better than "hey", and a conversation can start long before anyone plans a drive.
When you both want to meet, pick a public place about halfway, tell a friend where you're going, and follow our safe-meeting checklist.

Built by someone from a small town

Amarbis's founder, Nick, is from Boardman, Oregon, a city of about 4,500 people. The small-town dating problem on this page is one he knows first-hand: a deck full of people you already know, and a nearby city that ranks its own neighbors ahead of you. Amarbis is built so that where you live in Maine doesn't decide who you can meet.

Every city or town in Maine

All 482 cities, towns and plantations in Maine, by county, with 2025 population estimates. Maine's towns and cities cover nearly all of the state, so this list is the place most people mean by their hometown. Wherever yours is on this list, everything on this page applies to you: choose Maine as your region on Amarbis and every place below is in your pool.

Androscoggin County

Auburn: 25,441 people
Durham: 4,399 people
Greene: 4,551 people
Leeds: 2,406 people
Lewiston: 38,866 people
Lisbon: 9,919 people
Livermore: 2,229 people
Livermore Falls: 3,229 people
Mechanic Falls: 3,286 people
Minot: 2,866 people
Poland: 6,098 people
Sabattus: 5,397 people
Turner: 6,127 people
Wales: 1,673 people

Aroostook County

Allagash: 234 people
Amity: 250 people
Ashland: 1,186 people
Blaine: 659 people
Bridgewater: 523 people
Caribou: 7,321 people
Castle Hill: 370 people
Caswell: 283 people
Chapman: 499 people
Crystal: 245 people
Cyr Plantation: 77 people
Dyer Brook: 211 people
Eagle Lake: 754 people
Easton: 1,312 people
Fort Fairfield: 3,285 people
Fort Kent: 4,151 people
Frenchville: 1,019 people
Garfield Plantation: 78 people
Glenwood Plantation: 4 people
Grand Isle: 356 people
Hamlin: 162 people
Hammond: 89 people
Haynesville: 99 people
Hersey: 78 people
Hodgdon: 1,296 people
Houlton: 6,056 people
Island Falls: 750 people
Limestone: 1,487 people
Linneus: 950 people
Littleton: 999 people
Ludlow: 444 people
Macwahoc Plantation: 59 people
Madawaska: 3,846 people
Mapleton: 1,909 people
Mars Hill: 1,318 people
Masardis: 203 people
Merrill: 205 people
Monticello: 725 people
Moro Plantation: 43 people
Nashville Plantation: 25 people
New Canada: 308 people
New Limerick: 567 people
New Sweden: 574 people
Oakfield: 655 people
Orient: 151 people
Perham: 381 people
Portage Lake: 359 people
Presque Isle: 8,694 people
Reed Plantation: 126 people
Sherman: 802 people
Smyrna: 451 people
St. Agatha: 732 people
St. Francis: 426 people
St. John Plantation: 261 people
Stockholm: 247 people
Van Buren: 1,985 people
Wade: 232 people
Wallagrass: 510 people
Washburn: 1,499 people
Westfield: 452 people
Westmanland: 79 people
Weston: 241 people
Winterville Plantation: 192 people
Woodland: 1,206 people

Cumberland County

Baldwin: 1,660 people
Bridgton: 5,965 people
Brunswick: 23,055 people
Cape Elizabeth: 9,827 people
Casco: 3,779 people
Chebeague Island: 398 people
Cumberland: 8,876 people
Falmouth: 12,982 people
Freeport: 8,934 people
Frye Island: 25 people
Gorham: 19,239 people
Gray: 8,676 people
Harpswell: 5,102 people
Harrison: 2,639 people
Long Island: 235 people
Naples: 4,128 people
New Gloucester: 5,964 people
North Yarmouth: 4,424 people
Portland: 69,911 people
Pownal: 1,645 people
Raymond: 4,670 people
Scarborough: 24,547 people
Sebago: 1,995 people
South Portland: 27,007 people
Standish: 11,000 people
Westbrook: 21,565 people
Windham: 19,912 people
Yarmouth: 9,062 people

Franklin County

Avon: 451 people
Carrabassett Valley: 711 people
Carthage: 509 people
Chesterville: 1,378 people
Coplin Plantation: 132 people
Dallas Plantation: 313 people
Eustis: 672 people
Farmington: 8,258 people
Industry: 809 people
Jay: 4,639 people
Kingfield: 1,025 people
New Sharon: 1,614 people
New Vineyard: 759 people
Phillips: 942 people
Rangeley: 1,336 people
Rangeley Plantation: 179 people
Sandy River Plantation: 126 people
Strong: 1,122 people
Temple: 549 people
Weld: 428 people
Wilton: 3,878 people

Hancock County

Amherst: 265 people
Aurora: 93 people
Bar Harbor: 5,352 people
Blue Hill: 2,798 people
Brooklin: 827 people
Brooksville: 933 people
Bucksport: 5,066 people
Castine: 1,310 people
Cranberry Isles: 160 people
Dedham: 1,673 people
Deer Isle: 2,132 people
Eastbrook: 431 people
Ellsworth: 8,862 people
Franklin: 1,666 people
Frenchboro: 31 people
Gouldsboro: 1,769 people
Great Pond: 61 people
Hancock: 2,593 people
Lamoine: 1,811 people
Mariaville: 502 people
Mount Desert: 2,214 people
Orland: 2,224 people
Osborn: 67 people
Otis: 667 people
Penobscot: 1,159 people
Sedgwick: 1,203 people
Sorrento: 279 people
Southwest Harbor: 1,873 people
Stonington: 1,058 people
Sullivan: 1,281 people
Surry: 1,692 people
Swans Island: 356 people
Tremont: 1,552 people
Trenton: 1,656 people
Verona Island: 515 people
Waltham: 344 people
Winter Harbor: 481 people

Kennebec County

Albion: 2,092 people
Augusta: 19,155 people
Belgrade: 3,541 people
Benton: 2,821 people
Chelsea: 2,848 people
China: 4,636 people
Clinton: 3,378 people
Farmingdale: 3,000 people
Fayette: 1,277 people
Gardiner: 6,206 people
Hallowell: 2,624 people
Litchfield: 3,797 people
Manchester: 2,492 people
Monmouth: 4,252 people
Mount Vernon: 1,843 people
Oakland: 6,361 people
Pittston: 3,418 people
Randolph: 1,780 people
Readfield: 2,730 people
Rome: 1,184 people
Sidney: 4,929 people
Vassalboro: 4,647 people
Vienna: 615 people
Waterville: 17,579 people
Wayne: 1,167 people
West Gardiner: 3,678 people
Windsor: 2,758 people
Winslow: 8,063 people
Winthrop: 6,158 people

Knox County

Appleton: 1,469 people
Camden: 5,204 people
Cushing: 1,482 people
Friendship: 1,159 people
Hope: 1,737 people
Isle au Haut: 84 people
Matinicus Isle Plantation: 50 people
North Haven: 432 people
Owls Head: 1,494 people
Rockland: 7,142 people
Rockport: 3,628 people
South Thomaston: 1,520 people
St. George: 2,595 people
Thomaston: 2,751 people
Union: 2,444 people
Vinalhaven: 1,254 people
Warren: 5,099 people
Washington: 1,562 people

Lincoln County

Alna: 732 people
Boothbay: 3,155 people
Boothbay Harbor: 2,103 people
Bremen: 842 people
Bristol: 2,969 people
Damariscotta: 2,296 people
Dresden: 1,792 people
Edgecomb: 1,214 people
Jefferson: 2,728 people
Monhegan Plantation: 62 people
Newcastle: 1,915 people
Nobleboro: 1,909 people
Somerville: 623 people
South Bristol: 1,137 people
Southport: 634 people
Waldoboro: 5,324 people
Westport Island: 750 people
Whitefield: 2,410 people
Wiscasset: 3,998 people

Oxford County

Andover: 887 people
Bethel: 2,751 people
Brownfield: 1,704 people
Buckfield: 2,114 people
Byron: 104 people
Canton: 1,123 people
Denmark: 1,253 people
Dixfield: 2,396 people
Fryeburg: 3,576 people
Gilead: 198 people
Greenwood: 764 people
Hanover: 304 people
Hartford: 1,264 people
Hebron: 1,289 people
Hiram: 1,712 people
Lincoln Plantation: 40 people
Lovell: 1,155 people
Mexico: 2,779 people
Newry: 429 people
Norway: 5,349 people
Otisfield: 1,893 people
Oxford: 4,449 people
Paris: 5,409 people
Peru: 1,501 people
Porter: 1,652 people
Roxbury: 364 people
Rumford: 6,025 people
Stoneham: 276 people
Stow: 451 people
Sumner: 1,006 people
Sweden: 424 people
Upton: 69 people
Waterford: 1,632 people
West Paris: 1,773 people
Woodstock: 1,423 people

Penobscot County

Alton: 842 people
Bangor: 32,518 people
Bradford: 1,247 people
Bradley: 1,581 people
Brewer: 9,636 people
Burlington: 450 people
Carmel: 3,031 people
Carroll Plantation: 140 people
Charleston: 1,644 people
Chester: 553 people
Clifton: 875 people
Corinna: 2,261 people
Corinth: 3,139 people
Dexter: 3,874 people
Dixmont: 1,215 people
East Millinocket: 1,567 people
Eddington: 2,254 people
Edinburg: 136 people
Enfield: 1,444 people
Etna: 1,245 people
Exeter: 1,002 people
Garland: 1,039 people
Glenburn: 4,825 people
Greenbush: 1,531 people
Hampden: 8,078 people
Hermon: 6,982 people
Holden: 3,438 people
Howland: 1,166 people
Hudson: 1,483 people
Kenduskeag: 1,418 people
Lagrange: 647 people
Lakeville: 105 people
Lee: 923 people
Levant: 3,289 people
Lincoln: 4,971 people
Lowell: 388 people
Mattawamkeag: 607 people
Maxfield: 99 people
Medway: 1,197 people
Milford: 3,117 people
Millinocket: 4,095 people
Mount Chase: 190 people
Newburgh: 1,735 people
Newport: 3,192 people
Old Town: 7,589 people
Orono: 12,421 people
Orrington: 3,912 people
Passadumkeag: 349 people
Patten: 900 people
Plymouth: 1,328 people
Seboeis Plantation: 39 people
Springfield: 390 people
Stacyville: 375 people
Stetson: 1,243 people
Veazie: 1,864 people
Webster Plantation: 64 people
Winn: 405 people
Woodville: 204 people

Piscataquis County

Abbot: 638 people
Beaver Cove: 134 people
Bowerbank: 137 people
Brownville: 1,153 people
Dover-Foxcroft: 4,463 people
Greenville: 1,743 people
Guilford: 1,285 people
Kingsbury Plantation: 30 people
Lake View Plantation: 152 people
Medford: 235 people
Milo: 2,350 people
Monson: 642 people
Parkman: 759 people
Sangerville: 1,336 people
Sebec: 676 people
Shirley: 275 people
Wellington: 232 people
Willimantic: 136 people

Sagadahoc County

Arrowsic: 499 people
Bath: 8,835 people
Bowdoin: 3,254 people
Bowdoinham: 3,210 people
Georgetown: 1,101 people
Phippsburg: 2,232 people
Richmond: 3,609 people
Topsham: 9,982 people
West Bath: 1,970 people
Woolwich: 3,287 people

Somerset County

Anson: 2,333 people
Athens: 955 people
Bingham: 833 people
Brighton Plantation: 61 people
Cambridge: 460 people
Canaan: 2,219 people
Caratunk: 82 people
Cornville: 1,378 people
Dennistown Plantation: 60 people
Detroit: 929 people
Embden: 958 people
Fairfield: 6,537 people
Harmony: 829 people
Hartland: 1,890 people
Highland Plantation: 54 people
Jackman: 799 people
Madison: 4,888 people
Mercer: 713 people
Moose River: 186 people
Moscow: 492 people
New Portland: 766 people
Norridgewock: 3,304 people
Palmyra: 2,077 people
Pittsfield: 3,935 people
Pleasant Ridge Plantation: 86 people
Ripley: 487 people
Skowhegan: 8,676 people
Smithfield: 953 people
Solon: 1,008 people
St. Albans: 2,176 people
Starks: 632 people
The Forks Plantation: 48 people
West Forks Plantation: 58 people

Waldo County

Belfast: 6,988 people
Belmont: 1,021 people
Brooks: 1,023 people
Burnham: 1,108 people
Frankfort: 1,248 people
Freedom: 745 people
Islesboro: 596 people
Jackson: 614 people
Knox: 811 people
Liberty: 945 people
Lincolnville: 2,433 people
Monroe: 941 people
Montville: 1,025 people
Morrill: 1,031 people
Northport: 1,640 people
Palermo: 1,636 people
Prospect: 703 people
Searsmont: 1,484 people
Searsport: 2,737 people
Stockton Springs: 1,593 people
Swanville: 1,435 people
Thorndike: 802 people
Troy: 1,116 people
Unity: 2,307 people
Waldo: 873 people
Winterport: 3,838 people

Washington County

Addison: 1,193 people
Alexander: 519 people
Baileyville: 1,314 people
Baring Plantation: 197 people
Beals: 453 people
Beddington: 61 people
Calais: 3,083 people
Charlotte: 337 people
Cherryfield: 1,093 people
Columbia: 435 people
Columbia Falls: 484 people
Cooper: 169 people
Crawford: 93 people
Cutler: 533 people
Danforth: 583 people
Deblois: 76 people
Dennysville: 312 people
East Machias: 1,341 people
Eastport: 1,285 people
Grand Lake Stream Plantation: 128 people
Harrington: 998 people
Jonesboro: 607 people
Jonesport: 1,244 people
Lubec: 1,237 people
Machias: 2,078 people
Machiasport: 1,004 people
Marshfield: 529 people
Meddybemps: 136 people
Milbridge: 1,316 people
Northfield: 177 people
Pembroke: 778 people
Perry: 798 people
Princeton: 749 people
Robbinston: 554 people
Roque Bluffs: 316 people
Steuben: 1,181 people
Talmadge: 72 people
Topsfield: 180 people
Vanceboro: 103 people
Waite: 65 people
Wesley: 122 people
Whiting: 505 people
Whitneyville: 208 people

York County

Acton: 2,735 people
Alfred: 3,188 people
Arundel: 4,596 people
Berwick: 8,436 people
Biddeford: 22,399 people
Buxton: 8,681 people
Cornish: 1,602 people
Dayton: 2,182 people
Eliot: 7,643 people
Hollis: 5,003 people
Kennebunk: 12,152 people
Kennebunkport: 3,717 people
Kittery: 11,420 people
Lebanon: 6,801 people
Limerick: 3,575 people
Limington: 4,173 people
Lyman: 4,713 people
Newfield: 1,693 people
North Berwick: 5,355 people
Ogunquit: 1,606 people
Old Orchard Beach: 9,533 people
Parsonsfield: 1,837 people
Saco: 21,159 people
Sanford: 22,663 people
Shapleigh: 3,025 people
South Berwick: 7,941 people
Waterboro: 8,219 people
Wells: 12,094 people
York: 14,293 people

Frequently asked questions

What is the best dating app for small towns in Maine?

We think it's Amarbis. You choose the region you meet people from, so a small Maine town gets the same state-wide pool as Portland; ranking isn't based on distance; there are no distance limits; every profile is reviewed by a real person; and joining is free.

Why do I keep seeing the same people on dating apps in my Maine town?

Many dating apps lean on distance to decide who you see, and in a small town the closest people are a short list. Tinuiti's analysis of Tinder's algorithm says proximity is a key factor, which is why a small-town deck fills with the same neighbors. On Amarbis you choose your region, so your pool isn't limited to your zip code.

Can I meet people from all over Maine?

Yes. Choose Maine as your region and you meet people across the state, from wherever you live, without being ranked behind someone's neighbors.

Can I meet people outside Maine?

Yes. Amarbis has no distance limits, so you can widen your region or meet someone in another country, with built-in chat translation when you don't share a language. Start with the international dating guide.

Is Amarbis free?

Yes. Joining is free, with no credit card, and the free plan includes 25 likes a day and unlimited messaging with your matches. Create your profile.

Neighboring states: New Hampshire. See all 50 states. New here? Read why Amarbis is the best dating app for small towns.

More from Amarbis

Population figures are U.S. Census Bureau estimates for July 1, 2025. Distances are straight-line miles between place center points, so road distances are longer. Counts of nearby places include cities and towns in every state.