Where Does Augusta Rank on Safest Cities in Maine? It's Not Good

When it comes to Maine cities, I feel like we are constantly sharing information and articles on where the safest cities in the Pine Tree State are.

But, how often do we get into the nitty-gritty and talk about places in Maine that are experiencing higher-than-normal rates of crime when compared against the national average?

Before we dive into the crime rates and how they compare to the national average, let's first just take a look at Maine as a standalone.

Recently, Area Vibes put out their list of the safest towns and cities to live in in Maine. This list is compiled using quality of life as well as crime rate data.

And the results, at least for Augusta, weren't stellar.

Maine State House Dome Augusta Maine _ Renee Nelson

The website takes all of the data and assigns each Maine town on the list a final letter grade after factoring things like livability, demographics, best places nearby and crime rate. Before we get to Augusta's letter grade, let's first mention some Maine cities that scored better.

Some Maine towns that received the highest possible score, an A+, were Gorham, Yarmouth, Belfast, Orono, Kennebunk, Caribou, Brunswick and several others.

To see an exact letter breakdown of each town, just click here.

Augusta Downtown, Canva Pro

However, when you get to Augusta, Maine, the overall letter grade for Maine's Capital city was a disappointing C-.

What is bringing down our grade?

Well, according to Area Vibes, Augusta pulled a C- in crime, and D+ for schools, an F for employment and a C+ for housing. Augusta did score much better in health, commute and amenities, however, the rest of the scores dragged it down.

Area Vibes also included a report released in 2023 from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that shows Augusta's crime rates in 2022 compared to the national average. These averages are per 100,000 people.

When it came to crime in 2022, Maine came under in the average murder rate; that's good! However, Augusta was way over on assaults, thefts, property crime, rape, violent crime and vehicle theft.

Take a look at the full crime statistic breakdown from the FBI.

Augusta, Maine Crime Rates, FBI 2022 Data

Area Vibes went on to say about Augusta, Maine's crime rates,

The Augusta crime rates are 86% higher than the national average. There are two main categories of crime - violent crime and property crime. Violent crime consists of murder, rape, robbery and assault, while property crimes include burglary, theft and vehicle theft. There were a total of 85 violent crimes in Augusta (447 per 100,000 people), which is 20.9% higher than the national average and there were a total of 737 property crimes (3876 per 100,000 residents) which is 98.3% higher than average.

It's no secret that crime has been on the rise, not just in Augusta but in cities all around Maine and New England in recent years.

What do you think could be contributing to the increase?

Google Maps Pics Show Us How Much Augusta Has Changed In The Last Two Decades

These photos show how Augusta has changed in the last two decades. Do you remember shopping, doing business, eating, or drinking at some of these now gone businesses?

Please note that some of these address may have changed.