According to, the State of Maine ranks third nationally, out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, when it comes to the prevalence of vegan options and the availability of all-vegan restaurants.

...does that seem right to you? It didn't to me. Maine's got a ton of steakhouses, seafood joints, and we sure do love our meat here in Maine.

So, what gives?

HealthIQ says that for every 1 million residents, Maine has 4.6 all-vegan restaurant options.

From the article:

Veganism is having more than a moment—it is gradually becoming mainstream. In the United States, where a traditional “meat and potatoes” diet has long been the norm, there has been a huge push in recent years towards a number of popular variations on alternative, plant-based diets. While in 2009, only 0.5% of the population in the United States said they followed a vegan diet, that number increased by over 5x in just the next three years. A trend in-line with growth of vegan-related Google keyword searches."

Another interesting statistic from this post was the frequency of searches for "vegan" restaurants, options, and alternative diets.


Maine is outranked by the state of Oregon (where the other Portland is), and Washington DC.

It's an interesting statistic, and it most likely has a lot to do with Portland's booming restaurant scene, and the relatively small population of the state as a whole.