City Score: Chelsea, ME

One number for Chelsea, ME: the condition of the city from public data and how the church is moving, updated weekly, every indicator footnoted to its source. Back to Chelsea, ME. Part of the Augusta-Waterville, ME area. In Maine.

The score

Chelsea, ME scores 48 out of 100 on the Joy Project City Score. Condition 48 (the city from public data, 60%) and Movement (how the church is moving, 40%). How the score is built.

The condition of Chelsea, ME

  • What Chelsea is up against: 23 out of 100 — Better than 88% of cities, up 6 points
  • Where grace is growing: 24 out of 100 — Better than 8% of cities
  • Marriage & family: 29 out of 100 — Better than 10% of cities, down 1 points
  • Christian liberty: 60 out of 100 — Better than 62% of cities, up 22 points

What affected it

  • This quarter: Anti-Christian hate crimes up 89 percentile points (Christian liberty)
  • This quarter: Divorces up 35 percentile points (Marriage & family)
  • This quarter: Marriages down 15 percentile points (Marriage & family)

Sources

  1. Violent crime: FBI Crime Data Explorer · 2025 · Maine · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  2. Property crime: FBI Crime Data Explorer · 2025 · Maine · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  3. Sexually transmitted infections: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  4. Drug overdose deaths: CDC NCHS, provisional county drug overdose deaths (VSRR) · 2025 · Kennebec County, ME · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  5. Adult entertainment outlets: OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  6. Gambling outlets: OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  7. Cannabis outlets: OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  8. Liquor outlets and bars: OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  9. Predatory lenders: OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  10. Abortion facilities (mapped): OpenStreetMap outlet counts (Metro pulse, metro_reformation_stats) · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  11. Church adherents: 2020 U.S. Religion Census · 2020 · Kennebec County, ME · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  12. Congregations: 2020 U.S. Religion Census · 2020 · Kennebec County, ME · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  13. Charitable giving: IRS Statistics of Income, county data · 2023 · Kennebec County, ME · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  14. Given to local needs in Joy: Verified in Joy (the impact ledger) · fetched Oct 28, 2026 · verified in Joy
  15. Needs met in Joy: Verified in Joy (the impact ledger) · fetched Oct 28, 2026 · verified in Joy
  16. Volunteers mobilized in Joy: Verified in Joy (the impact ledger) · fetched Oct 28, 2026 · verified in Joy
  17. New believers in Joy: Verified in Joy (the impact ledger) · fetched Oct 28, 2026 · verified in Joy
  18. Children with married parents: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year · 2020-2024 · Kennebec County, ME · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  19. Adults 25-44 married: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year · 2020-2024 · Kennebec County, ME · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  20. Cohabiting households: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year · 2020-2024 · Kennebec County, ME · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  21. Divorces: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year · 2020-2024 · Maine · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  22. Marriages: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year · 2020-2024 · Maine · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  23. Births to unmarried mothers: CDC WONDER · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  24. Religious Liberty in the States score: Religious Liberty in the States · 2026 · Maine · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  25. Safeguards fully in law: Religious Liberty in the States · 2026 · Maine · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  26. State Religious Freedom Restoration Act: Religious Liberty in the States · 2026 · Maine · fetched Oct 28, 2026
  27. Anti-Christian hate crimes: FBI Crime Data Explorer · 2025 · Maine · fetched Oct 28, 2026

Every indicator

What Chelsea is up against — 23 out of 100

Where grace is growing — 24 out of 100

Marriage & family — 29 out of 100

Christian liberty — 60 out of 100

  • Religious Liberty in the States score: 39.6 % of the edition's safeguards in state law, better than 51% of cities, down 12 points · 2026, Maine · Religious Liberty in the States
  • Safeguards fully in law: 5 of the edition's safeguards, better than 25% of cities · 2026, Maine · Religious Liberty in the States
  • State Religious Freedom Restoration Act: 0 1 = full protection, 0 = none, better than 20% of cities · 2026, Maine · Religious Liberty in the States
  • Anti-Christian hate crimes: 0 incidents per 100,000, better than 92% of cities, up 89 points · 2025, Maine · FBI Crime Data Explorer

Quote and download

Cite it as: Joy Project City Score v1.0, Chelsea, ME, 2026-Q4, staging.joyproject.com/cities/chelsea-me/score

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