How Rural is Maine Compared to Other States?

It's easy to forget how remote Maine really is when you live in the southern part of the state.

I have lived in in the Portland suburbs throughout my life. I have watched the area continually expand. It's no bustling metropolis, but it sure isn't rural. Sure, there are pockets of farm and undeveloped land, but there's also new construction as far as the eye can see.

However, Greater Portland, Lewiston/Auburn, Bangor, and other populous areas are still just a small slice of Maine's pie. The majority of this state is basically just pine trees and wildlife. I mean, we still have territories named T2R9. You are not going to find that in every state.

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

So, just how rural is Maine? According to World Population Review, it's very rural. In fact, the website claims Maine is the second most rural state, only trailing Vermont. World Population Review used metrics from the US Census to get its findings. You can read more about the methodology here.

The didn't base its findings on remote land (obviously Alaska would destroy everyone), but on number of citizens living away from the major population centers. So, with Maine having very few major cities, it's easy to see how the state is determined to be so rural.

The rest of the top five is not surprising. West Virginia, Mississippi, and Montana are three that one would expect to be in the mix, though I would have thought Wyoming and the Dakotas would also be good candidates.

As for the least rural state? That goes to California. While there is vast remoteness, the majority of population can be found in and around major metropolitan areas.

You can see the entire map here.