Everyone knows that Scarborough is growing. There are more people, more houses, and, yes, more traffic. But how do we compare to other towns? The charts below show how the number of people and housing units in Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth, and Saco have changed since 1990.* 

POPULATION: Scarborough’s estimated population has grown from 12,518 in 1990 to 23,218 in 2020, an 85% increase. By comparison, Cape Elizabeth’s population has risen 8% and Saco has grown 37%.

HOUSING: From 1990 to 2020, the number of housing units in Scarborough rose 92%, from 5,391 to 10,341. (This includes single- and multi-family homes and apartments.) In Cape Elizabeth and Saco, the number of homes rose 18% and 39%, respectively.

SECOND HOMES: Some of Scarborough’s new housing units are categorized by the Census Bureau as homes for “seasonal, recreational, or occasional use”. In other words, second homes. In Scarborough, the number of second homes rose from 431 in 1990 to 847 in 2020, an increase that accounts for almost 10% of new homes during that time. 

*U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census and American Community Survey