Poverty
In 2022, poverty fell from 11.2% to 10.9%.
No significant movement since the last available data
Benchmark: Maine’s poverty rate will decline and remain below the U.S. rate through 2030.
Overview
In 2022, the percentage of Mainers in households with incomes below the poverty level was 10.9%. That was below the U.S. rate of 12.6%. Poverty varied greatly by region—from 6.6% in Cumberland County to 15.6% in Washington County. Maine’s poverty rate reflects both the overall state of the economy and the experiences of individual residents. While it has generally declined in the past decade, it is now higher than it was during the COVID pandemic, when federal stimulus measures reduced poverty rates.
State-level poverty rates mask stark differences within Maine’s populations. From 2018 to 2022, BIPOC* and Latino or Hispanic Mainers were 55% more likely to be living in poverty, and 14% of Maine children under age 5 were living in poverty, compared to 9% of Mainers over age 65. Many poor children are in households headed by single females. From 2018 to 2022, almost 1 in 3 single mother households were poor (31%).
*Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
Fig. A
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Percentage of Residents in Poverty
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Fig. B
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Poverty Rate by Age, 2018-2022
Source: U.S. Census Bureau