Economic & Community Development Department

Lewiston, Maine, is a growing city full of possibilities. Our city delivers opportunities for residents, interested investors, and potential transplants because Lewiston offers unmatched affordability, convenient location, and a vibrant and diverse big city atmosphere with a strong hometown feel. Built on a foundation of RESILIENCE and REINVENTION from centuries of hard-working, enterprising Mainers from away, we carry those values forward as we explore innovative and creative ways to reimagine and grow our city. Through the lens of historical and cultural heritage but with an eye on the future, we are a city of OPPORTUNITY for all people to live healthy, fulfilling, and prosperous lives. 

Our Community & Economy

Lewiston is the second-largest city in Maine, with a population of 37,121, according to the 2020 United States Census. Lewiston is the largest city in the Lewiston-Auburn Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the fourth largest MSA in Maine, with a population of 111,139 at the last Census count. The City is part of a broad and diverse economy.

Located at the Great Falls of the Androscoggin River base, Lewiston harnessed the river's power. It developed as a manufacturing center, primarily textiles, which drove the local economy in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In more recent years, commerce and services, such as health care, financial services, education (Lewiston is the home of Bates College and two other colleges), precision manufacturing, telecommunications, and warehousing/distribution have contributed to the City’s economic life.

 The City is a significant junction for State Highways 4, 121, 126, 136, 196, and U.S. 202.  The Maine Turnpike, Interstate 95, is a primary connector to southern New England and the rest of the nation. The City is served by three interchanges, with one in Lewiston and one in each of the neighboring communities of Auburn and Sabattus.  Private air service is available at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport. Commercial air service is available at the Portland International Jetport, 34 miles to the south, and at Bangor International Airport, 100 miles to the north.  Public transit service is provided six days a week in Lewiston.