Cost of living in Maine

Maine at a glance

Median rent

$1,139

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$74,733

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$296,600

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$3,036

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

25 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

3.8%

Census ACS, DP03

Maine's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 3% below the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Census ACS 2024 five-year estimates, checked November 2026.

The three most populous counties in Maine

These are the most populous places in Maine, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Cumberland County

  Population

  309K

  Rent

  $1,589

  Household income

  $95,677

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $4,707

  Set as targetPlan

• York County

  Population

  217K

  Rent

  $1,339

  Household income

  $88,333

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $3,787

  Set as targetPlan

• Penobscot County

  Population

  155K

  Rent

  $1,041

  Household income

  $66,356

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $2,481

  Set as targetPlan

Maine, worth the trip

Admitted to the Union on March 15, 1820, as the 23rd state. Augusta, on the Kennebec River, dates to 1628, when traders from the Plymouth colony arrived. Fort Western was built there in 1754 and the town became the state capital in 1831.

• Acadia National Park

  Rocky headlands on the Atlantic coast, with 158 miles of trails and 45 miles of carriage roads.

• Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

  Woods, rivers and streams with views of Katahdin and dark night skies.

• Saint Croix Island International Historic Site

  The island where a French expedition of 79 men spent the winter of 1604 to 1605.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Maine

Current owners in Maine pay a median 1.02% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $3,036 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $1,537 in Piscataquis County to $4,707 in Cumberland County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Health in Maine

Life expectancy

77.2 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

8.4%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

14.6%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

109

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Maine as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Maine

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$416M

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$1.11

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$181M of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

New homes permitted in Maine

Side by side

Cumberland County, ME is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

The largest counties in Maine

By population, from the Census release named below. Each opens its own page.

1. 1Cumberland County309K
2. 2York County217K
3. 3Penobscot County155K
4. 4Kennebec County127K
5. 5Androscoggin County113K
6. 6Aroostook County67.1K
7. 7Oxford County59.3K
8. 8Hancock County56.5K
9. 9Somerset County51K
10. 10Knox County41K

All 16 counties in Maine

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.

What to do with these numbers

Every number here is public. The site adds your side of it: Maine next to your own state, by what you value.

• See Maine beside your own state

  Find your fit puts it next to where you live and the states next door, by what matters to you. Made-up answers are fine, since this is a tool, not a survey. No account needed.

  Find your fit

• Pick a county here and make it your target

  The three counties above each carry Set as target. From there the Journey lays out the runway and the steps. An account keeps it private and yours across devices.

  See the three counties