Maine became more diverse and less poor in the last five years, according to new U.S. Census data.
The Black and African American populations grew 31 percent from 16,906 to 22,106 in the past five years. The Latino population grew by 41 percent, from 20,427 to 28,717 in 2022.
The state’s overall poverty rate of 10.8 percent improved from 11.1 percent in 2017 and ranks below the national average of 12.6 percent. The median income for Mainers has increased 31 percent, from $53,024 to $69,543, in the past five years, according to Thursday’s U.S. Census American Community Five-Year Surveyresults.
Median home values also skyrocketed 71 percent from $179,900 in 2017 to $307,600 in 2022.
The new data underscore a trend that has emerged in the last five years, as the state’s population grows slowly less white. Although Maine is still the whitest state in the nation at 90 percent, followed by Vermont and West Virginia both at 89 percent.
The American Community Surveydata measure the changing social and economiccharacteristics of the U.S. population including education, housing, and jobs. Unlike the 10-year census, the ACS can be broken down by county and zip code because data are continually collected and often used to determine how federal funds are distributed each year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
For smaller rural communities monthly data are collected and measured over a five-year span while more urban areas are measured annually.
The state’s overall population grew by more than 55,000 people, from 1,330,158 to 1,385,340. And much of the state’s population growth comes from a more diverse group of people moving into the state.
“The more I talk to people, they want a change of pace from urban areas,” said Adilah Muhammad, Executive Director of The Third Place in Portland, an organization that supports Black entrepreneurs and professionals.
The white population declined from 1,261,661 in 2017 to 1,258,198 in 2022.The Native American populationdropped from 8,212 to 7,035 in 2022.
University of Maine professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Programs Darren Ranco said there could be many reasons for the decline in the number of indigenous people.
Houlton Band of Maliseets Chief Clarissa Sabattis said that the census has asked to have conversations with tribal leaders to see how they can have more success collecting information and that there is some concern about accuracy due to the small sample groups.
The survey revealed income disparities in the state with nearly 35 percent of American Indians now living in poverty, and 29 percent of Blacks and African Americans, up from 20 percent five years ago.
Such data do not reveal the entire picture, said Muhammed.
“When this kind of information comes out, I am always skeptical because the largest portion are folks who identify as refugees or immigrants are coming into Maine with limited resources, limited wealth accumulation,” she said. “If those individuals are included in those numbers it’s not surprising for me that there’s going to be an income disparity.”
The median rent jumped from $808 in 2017 to $1,033 in 2022 and household monthly expenses topped $1,573 in 2022.
Broadband access jumped from 77.7 percent in 2017 to 90.7 percent in 2022.
Kathleen Phalen Tomaselli is a reporter covering the Houlton area. Over the years, she has covered crime, investigations, health, politics and local government, writing for the Washington Post, the LA...More by Kathleen Phalen Tomaselli
Maine became more diverse and less poor in the last five years, according to new U.S. Census data. The Black and African American populations grew 31 percent from 16,906 to 22,106 in the past five years.The Latino population grew by 41 percent, from 20,427 to 28,717 in 2022.
Census 2020 indicates that the total percentage of Maine's population that identify either as the ethnicity of Hispanic or one of the races of American Indian and Alaskan Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Black or African American, Some Other Race; or Two or More Races was 10%, up from 6% from ...
Population & Diversity. Maine is home to a population of 1.37M people, from which 98.3% are citizens. As of 2022, 3.79% of Maine residents were born outside of the country (51.8k people). In 2022, there were 27.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.25M people) in Maine than any other race or ethnicity.
The 2020 census shows that Maine remains the whitest state in the nation but is becoming more diverse. Census data released Thursday showed that the state's population of 1,362,359 remains overwhelming white. But the numbers decreased slightly from 95.2. % of the population to 90.8% over the past decade.
Connecticut ranks 22 out of 51, with a Diversity Index of 56%. While this is lower than the national average, Connecticut has the highest Diversity Index of all the states in New England and has experienced an increase of nearly 10% (from 46%) since 2010.
Maine's total population is projected to increase 0.9% from 2020 to 2025 and a further 1.7% from 2025 to 2030. Over the ten-year period, Maine's population is projected to increase 2.6%.
Maine is home to the oldest population on average, followed by Puerto Rico, New Hampshire, Vermont, West Virginia and Florida. The median age group in Maine is 45.1— 43.9 for men and 46.4 for women.
This page contains several links to demographics, statistics, rural area resources and other Maine specific content. Maine is considered the most rural state in the nation; 50% of Maine's Land area is almost completely uninhabited...
As baby boomers moved past their child-bearing years, the number of births each year in Maine declined. Around 2010, Maine reached a new turning point: natural population decline. Nearly every year since then, Maine has seen more deaths than births. On its own, this trend would lead to a shrinking population.
The following data are the most current income statistics for Maine from the US Census Bureau, are in 2022 inflation adjusted dollars and are from the American Community Survey 2022 5-year estimates. Median Household Income: $68,251. Average Household Income: $91,599. Per Capita Income: $39,718.
The whitest state in the U.S is West Virginia, where 97.12% of the population identifies as White. The second state closely following this demographic trend is Wyoming with a White population percentage of 93.79%, closely trailed by Vermont with 92.80% and Maine with 92.69%.
At the national level, Maine is generally a Democratic state, although its senate seats are often held by Republicans. However, it used to be a Republican state entirely, before tilting towards the Democrats in the 1960s.
Maine has a graduated state individual income tax, with rates ranging from 5.80 percent to 7.15 percent. Maine has a graduated corporate income tax, with rates ranging from 3.50 percent to 8.93 percent. Maine also has a 5.50 percent state sales tax rate and does not have local sales taxes.
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