PORTLAND, MAINE is now under coverage.
Local dating, modeled. Every signal in Portland, Maine, converted into a tactical roadmap.
Portland, Maine is open as a field office. The headline numbers, each sourced and confidence-flagged:
- $1,825 per month Zumper Rent Research, June 2026
- $46,445 per year Census ACS 5-yr, 2019–2023
- 53% Census ACS 5-yr, 2019–2023
By the numbers
11 sourced, confidence-flagged metrics for Portland, Maine — gender, money, neighborhoods, and political lean. The deep dive, with charts, is in the console below.
- Singles, 22 to 50
92,486
- Gender balance
53%
- Male skew
53%
- Median income
$46,445
- 1-bedroom rent
$1,825
- Living wage
$55,141
- Transit fare
$2
- Rent trend
$1,825
- Most female-leaning zone
47%
- Unenrolled
30%
- Democratic
45%
The shape of the market
Gorham is the most female-leaning zone, at about 47% men to 53% women.
Portland runs about 53% male, sharpest in Windham (60%) and South Portland (54%).
How dating actually happens
Only about 14% of matches on curated apps like Hinge turn into a first date.
Roughly 1 in 10 partnered adults met their partner online, and the share climbs sharply for younger and LGB couples.
One in four matches never gets a reply.
53% of online daters say their overall experience has been positive.
Dating safety in Portland, Maine
78% of active dating-app users report burnout: 80% of women (driven by message volume) and 74% of men (driven by a lack of responses).
60% of Americans support requiring a background check before someone can create a dating profile.
An estimated 26% of men have received unsolicited explicit content, far below the rate for women.
56% of women under 50 have been sent unsolicited explicit images while dating online.
48% of online daters have faced at least one form of harassing behavior on a dating platform.
43% of women under 50 say a match kept contacting them after they said no.
52% of online daters say a scammer or bot has contacted them.
63% of men under 50 say a scammer or bot has contacted them, the highest of any group.
11% of women under 50 have been physically threatened on a dating platform.
40% of daters say platforms do a bad job removing fake and bot accounts; only 20% say they do well.
The LGBTQ+ landscape
53% of LGB adults have used a dating app, far more than straight adults.
About 24% of LGB couples met online, roughly three times the straight rate.
About 70% of LGB adults under 30 have used a dating app, the highest-adoption cohort anywhere.
7.6% of U.S. adults now identify as LGBTQ+, up from 3.5% in 2012.
22.3% of adults aged 18 to 34 identify as LGBTQ+.
Political alignment
24% of Americans say they could never date someone who disagrees with them on abortion.
Maine registers voters by party, and Cumberland County (Portland) is the most Democratic county in the state — about 45% Democratic to 22% Republican, with a big unenrolled middle.
47% of single daters would not seriously date a Trump voter; among Democratic women that rises to 79%.
69% of Americans would not date someone who is unemployed, rising to 81% of women.
About 30% register Unenrolled, Maine’s word for independent, so even in this blue county roughly a third of singles claim no party.
The cost of dating
A single adult in Cumberland County needs about $55,100 a year just to cover the basics.
Portland’s one-bedroom rents have climbed to among the highest in northern New England, pushed by a tight coastal supply.
Americans reported $1.3 billion in romance-scam losses in a single year, a tax on every crowded market.
A Greater Portland METRO bus fare is $2.00 one way.
Neighborhood intelligence
| Neighborhood | Singles | M / F | Income | 1BR rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Portland | 7,451 | 51 / 49 | $43,546 | $1,566 |
| North Deering | 7,437 | 53 / 47 | $50,985 | $1,620 |
| South Portland | 6,146 | 54 / 46 | $43,666 | $1,812 |
| West End Portland | 4,473 | 47 / 53 | $47,850 | $1,543 |
| Westbrook | 4,212 | 52 / 48 | $45,967 | $1,392 |
| Brunswick | 3,912 | 53 / 47 | $38,048 | $1,469 |
| Saco | 3,777 | 54 / 46 | $48,903 | $1,249 |
| Windham | 3,238 | 60 / 40 | $54,940 | $1,232 |
| Gorham | 2,801 | 47 / 53 | $48,588 | $1,680 |
| Scarborough | 2,592 | 53 / 47 | $57,463 | $1,956 |
Local date spots
Real venues across Portland, Maine, scraped from Google Maps and filterable by neighborhood. Ratings and review counts are live Google data — never paid placement.
- Downtown Portland
Duckfat
- North Deering
The Great Lost Bear
- Scarborough
Clambake Seafood Restaurant
- Downtown Portland
Scales
- South Portland
Tuscan Table
- Scarborough
Ken's Place
- Saco
Sea Salt Lobster
- Scarborough
Sebago Brewing Company Brewpub
- Downtown Portland
Fore Street Restaurant
- Scarborough
Novare Res Bier Cafe
- West End Portland
Central Provisions
- West End Portland
Blyth & Burrows
- Downtown Portland
Street & Co
- South Portland
Saltwater Grille
- Brunswick
Wild Oats Bakery & Café
- Downtown Portland
Bard Coffee
- Downtown Portland
Nosh Kitchen & Bar
- Saco
Golden Rooster
- Windham
Bob's Seafood
- Downtown Portland
Bonfire Country Bar Portland
- Windham
Applebee's Grill + Bar
- Downtown Portland
ViA VECCHiA
- Windham
Yolked Farm to Table
- Saco
The Run of the Mill Public House & Brewery
- Scarborough
Arcadia - Portland, Me
- Saco
Rapid Ray's
- Scarborough
The Bait Shed
- Westbrook
Stockhouse Restaurant & Sports
- Windham
Rose's Italian Restaurant
- Windham
Chute's Family Restaurant