Wells is a somewhat small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Maine. With a population of 11,731 people and four associated neighborhoods, Wells is the 19th largest community in Maine. Wells real estate is some of the most expensive in Maine, although Wells house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Wells is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Wells is a town of professionals, service providers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Wells who work in management occupations (15.53%), sales jobs (11.61%), and office and administrative support (9.20%). Also of interest is that Wells has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 18.04% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes. Another notable thing is that Wells is an extremely popular destination for tourists and seasonal residents. So much of the population is seasonal such that the town’s population swells significantly during the vacation season, and drops again when the season ends. Because of this, much of the local economy is centered around tourism; some businesses may be operated only during the high season. During the low season, year-round residents will notice that the city is a substantially quieter place to live. It is a fairly quiet town because there are relatively few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. (Children, for example, often can't help themselves from being noisy, and being parents ourselves, we know!) Wells has relatively few families with children living at home, and is quieter because of it. Renters and college students, for their own reasons, can also be noisy. Wells has few renters and college students. But the biggest reason it is quieter in Wells than in most places in America, is that there are just simply fewer people living here. If you think trees make good neighbors, Wells may be for you. Wells is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities. The education level of Wells citizens is very high relative to the national average among all cities (21.84%): 34.32% of adults in Wells have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree. The per capita income in Wells in 2022 was $43,075, which is upper middle income relative to Maine and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $172,300 for a family of four. However, Wells contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. The people who call Wells home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Wells residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Wells include Irish, English, French, French Canadian, and Italian. The most common language spoken in Wells is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and French.
