Washington County, Maine Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Washington 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 averageLeast healthy county in Maine
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D
Income Well below averageAmong the 3 least wealthy counties in Maine
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D
Education Well below averageAmong the 5 least educated counties in Maine
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Washington County | Maine Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 31,330 | 1,387,521 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 9.6 | 39.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.23% | 0.53% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 46.8 | 43.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 14,187 | 597,020 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Washington County declined by 3.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 31,330 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Washington County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 25.3% of residents. That is 3.8 points above Maine as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,367 17.1% -1.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,302 16.9% -3.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 6,945 22.2% +0.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 7,939 25.3% +3.8 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 50.7% of the people living in Washington County and men 49.3%.
- Women 50.7% Maine 50.9%
- Men 49.3% Maine 49.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Washington County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Washington County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Washington County | Maine Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,734 | $74,723 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.71% | 4.91% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Washington County is about 24% lower than in Maine.
Housing
| Metric | Washington County | Maine Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $262,197 | $261,367 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $782 | $1,139 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.7% | 74.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Washington County is about 27.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $782 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Washington County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 141 hours, about 5.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Washington County | Maine Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.9 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 33.7 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 141 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,358 | $5,372 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.7% | 15.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,028 | 4,904 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 460 | 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 Washington County is 17 minutes, shorter 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
Washington County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Washington County | Maine Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22.9% | 31.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.06 | 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
Washington County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Washington County | Maine Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.3 | 78.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.7% | 13.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.3% | 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).
Washington County, ME Compared With Nearby Counties
Washington County, ME is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 31,330 residents against a local median of 48,732. Washington County, ME's median household income, at $56,734, runs 22% below the $72,881 typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $262,197 against a local median of $218,502, 20% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Washington County, ME is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves sit within $7,339 of each other on median household income, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Washington County, ME, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Washington County, ME has the 5th highest median household income of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, ME | 31,330 | $56,734 #5/5 | $262,197 #2/5 | 16.9 min #2/5 |
| Hancock County, ME | 56,460 | $73,178 | $345,205 | 21.6 min |
| Penobscot County, ME | 154,700 | $66,372 | $178,672 | 18.1 min |
| Waldo County, ME | 40,192 | $72,583 | $258,333 | 22.4 min |
| Knox County, ME | 41,003 | $73,711 | $167,467 | 16.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Washington County, Maine.
How big is Washington County, Maine by population?
About 31,330 people live in Washington County, Maine, in 14,187 households of 2.1 people on average. The median age is 46.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 9 years.
Is Washington County, Maine urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Washington County, Maine has 10 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 11% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Washington County, Maine an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 4.6 times the median household income ($262,197 against $56,734), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $782 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Washington County, Maine have a college degree?
22.9% of adults in Washington County, Maine hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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