Poverty
In 2023, poverty fell 0.4 percentage points to 10.5%.
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 2023, the percentage of Mainers in households with incomes below the poverty level was 10.5%. This was below the U.S. rate of 12.5%. While poverty remains a challenge, it is noteworthy that Maine has achieved the benchmark set years ago; poverty has declined and remained below the U.S. average for over a decade. Maine’s poverty rate reflects both the overall state of the economy and the experiences of individual residents.
State-level poverty rates mask stark differences within Maine’s population. Poverty varied greatly by region—from 6.9% in Cumberland County to 20.1% in Washington County. From 2019 to 2023, BIPOC* and Latino or Hispanic Mainers were 49% more likely to be living in poverty; and 14% of Maine children under age 5 were living in poverty, compared to just over 9% of Mainers age 65+. Many poor children are in households headed by single females. From 2019 to 2023, almost 1 in 3 single-mother households were poor (30%).
*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, 2019-2023
Source: U.S. Census Bureau