Fastest-growing counties in Maine

Written by:
February 23, 2021
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Fastest-growing counties in Maine

From 2018 to 2019, the U.S. population grew by .48%, its slowest rate in 100 years. Declining births, increasing deaths largely due to the graying Baby Boomer population, and a crackdown on immigration have contributed to many states seeing net population losses in recent years.

But in other pockets of the country, populations are growing. These shifts can be due to job opportunities, high quality of life, easy commutability to job centers, low rents, or any combination of these or other factors. Stacker compiled a list of the fastest-growing counties in Maine using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest population growth from 2010 to 2019, based on 5-year estimates.

A county typically sees population growth as a “bedroom community” (a municipality with an atypically large commuting population) to a large city. These communities are typically quieter than their feeder cities, offer lower rents and a higher quality of living, and are remote enough to be immune to the feeder city’s crime, traffic, and crowds. Keep reading to see if your home county made the list.

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Doug Kerr // Wikimedia Commons

#16. Aroostook County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: -4,603
--- #3,097 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: -6.4%
--- #16 among counties in Maine, #2,803 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 67,809
--- #6 largest county in Maine, #787 largest county nationwide
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Halpaugh // Wikimedia Commons

#15. Somerset County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: -1,741
--- #2,909 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: -3.3%
--- #13 among counties in Maine, #2,300 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 50,520
--- #9 largest county in Maine, #981 largest county nationwide
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P199 // Wikimedia Commons

#14. Washington County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: -1,663
--- #2,894 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: -5.0%
--- #15 among counties in Maine, #2,621 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 31,491
--- #14 largest county in Maine, #1,390 largest county nationwide
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Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#13. Penobscot County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: -1,160
--- #2,743 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: -0.8%
--- #9 among counties in Maine, #1,727 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 151,774
--- #3 largest county in Maine, #434 largest county nationwide
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Magicpiano // Wikimedia Commons

#12. Piscataquis County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: -719
--- #2,510 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: -4.1%
--- #14 among counties in Maine, #2,460 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 16,836
--- #16 largest county in Maine, #1,986 largest county nationwide
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Jon Platek // Wikimedia Commons

#11. Franklin County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: -675
--- #2,470 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: -2.2%
--- #12 among counties in Maine, #2,046 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 29,982
--- #15 largest county in Maine, #1,433 largest county nationwide
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Bob Pool // Shutterstock

#10. Lincoln County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: -518
--- #2,334 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: -1.5%
--- #11 among counties in Maine, #1,888 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 34,201
--- #13 largest county in Maine, #1,320 largest county nationwide
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E.J.Johnson Photography // Shutterstock

#9. Knox County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: -352
--- #2,140 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: -0.9%
--- #10 among counties in Maine, #1,753 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 39,759
--- #10 largest county in Maine, #1,182 largest county nationwide
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Magicpiano // Wikimedia Commons

#8. Oxford County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: -317
--- #2,085 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: -0.5%
--- #7 among counties in Maine, #1,677 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 57,550
--- #7 largest county in Maine, #895 largest county nationwide
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Starspiker // Wikimedia Commons

#7. Androscoggin County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: -280
--- #2,032 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: -0.3%
--- #6 among counties in Maine, #1,609 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 107,602
--- #5 largest county in Maine, #559 largest county nationwide
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Jameslwoodward // Wikimedia Commons

#6. Sagadahoc County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: -236
--- #1,953 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: -0.7%
--- #8 among counties in Maine, #1,711 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 35,452
--- #12 largest county in Maine, #1,291 largest county nationwide
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Calvin Beale // Wikimedia Commons

#5. Kennebec County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: -172
--- #1,838 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: -0.1%
--- #5 among counties in Maine, #1,583 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 121,753
--- #4 largest county in Maine, #517 largest county nationwide
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liz west // Wikimedia Commons

#4. Hancock County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: +292
--- #1,261 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +0.5%
--- #4 among counties in Maine, #1,456 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 54,601
--- #8 largest county in Maine, #930 largest county nationwide
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Bruce C. Cooper // Wikimedia Commons

#3. Waldo County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: +799
--- #1,038 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +2.1%
--- #3 among counties in Maine, #1,203 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 39,539
--- #11 largest county in Maine, #1,185 largest county nationwide
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Michael Murphy // Wikimedia Commons

#2. York County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: +6,859
--- #472 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +3.5%
--- #2 among counties in Maine, #986 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 204,316
--- #2 largest county in Maine, #325 largest county nationwide
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Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock

#1. Cumberland County

- 2010 to 2019 population change: +12,313
--- #349 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2019 percent population change: +4.4%
--- #1 among counties in Maine, #866 among all counties nationwide
- 2019 population: 292,307
--- #1 largest county in Maine, #234 largest county nationwide

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