Somerset County, Maine Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Somerset County, ME Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageAmong the 5 least healthy counties in Maine
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D
Income Well below averageAmong the 5 least wealthy counties in Maine
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D
Education Well below averageLeast educated county in Maine
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Somerset County | Maine Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 50,956 | 1,387,521 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 12.5 | 39.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.10% | 0.53% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 48.1 | 43.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 23,209 | 597,020 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Somerset County declined by 0.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 50,956 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Somerset County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.4% of residents. That is 1.3 points above Maine as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,628 16.9% -1.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 9,719 19.1% -1.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 11,901 23.4% +1.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 11,666 22.9% +1.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Maine, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.6% of the people living in Somerset County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Maine 50.9%
- Men 49.4% Maine 49.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Somerset County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Somerset County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Somerset County | Maine Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $57,992 | $74,723 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.63% | 4.91% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Somerset County is about 22% lower than in Maine.
Housing
| Metric | Somerset County | Maine Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $157,784 | $261,367 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $910 | $1,139 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.4% | 74.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Somerset County is about 14.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $910 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Somerset County spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 187 hours, about 7.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Somerset County | Maine Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.5 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.0 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 187 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,812 | $5,372 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.0% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,181 | 4,904 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 431 | 1,015 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Maine:
Aroostook County (13.5 min), Piscataquis County (16.3 min), Knox County (16.6 min).
Slowest:
York County (23.9 min), Oxford County (23.4 min), Somerset County (22.5 min).
The average commute time in Somerset County is 22 minutes, longer than the 21 minutes in Maine.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Somerset County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Somerset County | Maine Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18.8% | 31.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.16 | 2.25 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Maine:
Cumberland County (0.4), Sagadahoc County (0.3), Hancock County (0.3).
Lowest:
Somerset County (0.2), Piscataquis County (0.2), Aroostook County (0.2).
Health
Somerset County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Somerset County | Maine Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.7 | 78.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.5% | 13.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.7% | 18.8% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Maine:
Cumberland County (0.8), York County (0.8), Sagadahoc County (0.8).
Lowest:
Washington County (0.8), Piscataquis County (0.8), Aroostook County (0.8).
Somerset County, ME Compared With Nearby Counties
Somerset County, ME is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 50,956 residents against a local median of 93,027. Nothing separates Somerset County, ME sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is commute, 13% above the local median at 22.5 min against 19.9 min. Somerset County, ME has the 4th lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset County, ME | 50,956 | $57,992 #5/5 | $157,784 #4/5 | 22.5 min #4/5 |
| Franklin County, ME | 30,413 | $58,418 | $98,874 | 18.7 min |
| Kennebec County, ME | 126,799 | $68,834 | $174,285 | 21.1 min |
| Oxford County, ME | 59,255 | $60,170 | $215,519 | 23.4 min |
| Penobscot County, ME | 154,700 | $66,372 | $178,672 | 18.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Somerset County, Maine.
How many people live in Somerset County, Maine?
About 50,956 people live in Somerset County, Maine, in 23,209 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 48.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
Is Somerset County, Maine mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Somerset County, Maine has 12 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 14% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Somerset County, Maine?
The median home costs 2.7 times the median household income ($157,784 against $57,992), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $910 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Somerset County, Maine?
Unemployment in Somerset County, Maine is only 3.5%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How common is a college degree in Somerset County, Maine?
18.8% of adults in Somerset County, Maine hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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