Best Places04256, ME Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 04256, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
04256 ranks 9,167th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 04256
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
04256's strengths and weaknesses
Where 04256 ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 99% of zip codes
- School gradeA+, better than 98% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 92% of zip codes
Where 04256 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 66 pleasant days a year, better than only 18% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 04256
A household needs to earn about $67,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 04256 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $66,537; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 04256's effective rate of 1.00%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 04256
04256's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 04256.
Who works in 04256, and how
Work in 04256 centers on transportation & warehousing and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in 04256
The coast is about 43 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 04256, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 04256, month by month
04256 sees roughly 66 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 12. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 23° | 12° |
| April | 56° | 43° | 32° |
| July | 83° | 70° | 58° |
| October | 62° | 50° | 39° |
Flying in and out of 04256
The nearest airport, Portland International Jetport, is about 32 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Edward Lawrence Logan International, about 124 miles away.
The best schools in and around 04256
Schools across 04256 average an A+, better than 98% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Elm Street School-mechanic FallsA+ · 73% proficient
Top middle schools
- Bruce M Whittier Middle SchoolA+ · 83% proficient
Top high schools
- Poland Regional H SA+ · 85% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 04256 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
04256 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 04256 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 04256
Is 04256 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 04256 ranks 9,167th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, good schools, and clean air, and lowest on state infrastructure and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 04256 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $249,256. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $66,537 median income, cost of living beats 26% of zip codes.
Is 04256 safe?
Yes, 04256 is safer than 93% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $170 per resident a year.
Compare 04256 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 04256. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 04256 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
04256 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 04256: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 04256: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 04256: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 04256: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
04256 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.