Orono, ME

Census Place

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2024 Population

11,151

US Senator

Susan Collins

Republican Party

US Senator

Angus King

Independent Party

2024 Median Age

21.6

0.461% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

27%

4.11% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$59,784

5.09% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$262,900

19.9% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

5,834

9.41% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Orono, ME reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

95.7% of the residents in Orono, ME are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Orono, ME are University of Maine (2,995 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Orono, ME was $262,900, and the homeownership rate was 41.7%.

Most people in Orono, ME drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 15.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Orono, ME was 2 cars per household.

About the photo: Penobscot Bay, Orono

Photo by Ken Lund

United States Maine Penobscot County, ME Bangor, ME Southern Penobscot County PUMA, ME

Population & Diversity

Orono, ME is home to a population of 11.2k people, from which 95.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 5.56% of Orono, ME residents were born outside of the country (620 people).

In 2024, there were 24.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.64k people) in Orono, ME than any other race or ethnicity. There were 388 Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 311 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.7%

2024 Citizenship

94.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.7% of Orono, ME residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Orono, ME was 94.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Orono, ME compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Orono, ME

White (Non-Hispanic)
9.64k ± 358
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
388 ± 131
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
311 ± 135

4.36%

Hispanic Population

486 people

4.36% of the people in Orono, ME are hispanic (486 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Orono, ME as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Maine.

Most Common Origin

Canada
10,100 ± 2,458 people
China
2,593 ± 1,249 people
Other Africa, not specified
2,479 ± 1,221 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Maine was Canada, the natal country of 10,100 Maine residents, followed by China with 2,593 and Other Africa, not specified with 2,479.

Foreign-Born Population

5.56%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

620 people

7.1%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

760 people

As of 2024, 5.56% of Orono, ME residents (620 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Orono, ME was 7.1%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Orono, ME compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
118 ± 81
Vietnam
54 ± 37
Korea
20 ± 26

Orono, ME has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 2.19 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Orono, ME.

Economy

The economy of Orono, ME employs 5.83k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Orono, ME were Educational Services (2,119 people), Retail Trade (744 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (729 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($45,294), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($36,111), and Manufacturing ($33,583).

Employment

Occupations

5.83k

2024 Value

± 647

9.41%

1 Year growth

± 13.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Orono, ME grew at a rate of 9.41%, from 5.33k employees to 5.83k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Orono, ME, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (1,096 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (693 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (528 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Orono, ME.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Maine.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Maine (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

5.83k

2024 Value

± 647

9.41%

1 Year growth

± 13.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Orono, ME grew at a rate of 9.41%, from 5.33k employees to 5.83k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Orono, ME, are Educational Services (2,119 people), Retail Trade (744 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (729 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Orono, ME, though some of these residents may live in Orono, ME and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$24,814

Median earning men ± $5,290

$14,155

Median earning women ± $3,843

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($46,786), Manufacturing ($34,792), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($29,091).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($71,154), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($37,727), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($24,464).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Maine.

Y-Axis

1.54%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 627k people employed in Maine. This represents a 1.54% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Maine.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Maine went to Kamala Harris with 52.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (45.5%), followed by Jill Stein (1.08%).

Susan Collins and Angus King are the senators currently representing the state of Maine. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Maine is currently represented by 2 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Orono, ME. Showing the available data for Maine.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (52.4%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (45.5%)
Republican Party
Jill Stein (1.08%)
Green Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Maine went to Kamala Harris with 52.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (45.5%), followed by Jill Stein (1.08%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Maine for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Maine

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Maine.

Susan Collins

Senator from Maine

Assumed office on January 3, 1997

Angus King

Senator from Maine

Assumed office on January 3, 2013
Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont join meetings of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

Susan Collins and Angus King are the senators currently representing Maine.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Maine over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Orono, ME awarded 2,995 degrees. The student population of Orono, ME in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 5,631 male students and 6,129 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Orono, ME are White (2,407 and 84.3%), Unknown (122 and 4.27%), Hispanic or Latino (112 and 3.92%), and Two or More Races (85 and 2.98%).

The largest universities in Orono, ME by number of degrees awarded are University of Maine (2,995 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Orono, ME are Management Science (174 and 5.81%), General Business Administration & Management (151 and 5.04%), and General Psychology (115 and 3.84%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $12,000 for in-state students and $34,740 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Orono, ME, the percentage of applicants admitted was 95.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 13.9%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 11,760 (47.9% men and 52.1% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 11,760 students enrolled in Orono, ME, 47.9% men and 52.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 9,192 records, of which 52% were women and 48% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
151 degrees awarded
General Psychology
97 degrees awarded
General Marketing & Marketing Management
96 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Orono, ME was General Business Administration & Management with 151 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Orono, ME according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

University of Maine

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

2,995 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Maine with 2,995 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,347 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Orono, ME, which is 0.817 times less than the 1,648 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 2,407 degrees mean that there were 19.7 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 122 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($12,000) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($606) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Orono, ME was $262,900 in 2024, which is 0.79 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $219,200 to $262,900, a 19.9% increase. The homeownership rate in Orono, ME is 41.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Orono, ME have an average commute time of 15.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Orono, ME is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$262,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$38,732

$1,221

Median Property Taxes

±$217

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Orono, ME the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Orono, ME compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

41.7%

Homeownership

2024

68.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 41.7% of the housing units in Orono, ME were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 43.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Orono, ME compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$59,784

Median Household Income

± $4,576

2.93k

Number of Households

± 375

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.93k households in Orono, ME grew to $59,784 from the previous year's value of $56,890.

The following chart displays the households in Orono, ME distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $50k - $60k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Orono, ME is from Maine.

0.439

2023 Wage GINI in Maine

0.437

2022 Wage GINI in Maine

In 2023, the income inequality in Maine was 0.439 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.449% growth from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Maine was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Maine in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Maine across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (58.5%)
Walked (18.9%)
Worked At Home (11%)

In 2024, 58.5% of workers in Orono, ME drove alone to work, followed by those who walked to work (18.9%) and those who worked at home (11%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

15.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Orono, ME have a shorter commute time (15.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.682% of the workforce in Orono, ME have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Orono, ME compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Orono, ME distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Orono, ME have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

27% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Orono, ME (1.92k out of 7.12k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Orono, ME is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

96.5% of the population of Orono, ME has health coverage, with 62.3% on employee plans, 6.88% on Medicaid, 7.61% on Medicare, 17.7% on non-group plans, and 1.97% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Maine see 932 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (932 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1406 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 177 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.3% were men and 49.7% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.2% under 18 years, 59.1% between 18 and 34 years, 12.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 9.77% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.3% were men and 49.7% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

3.55%

Uninsured

62.3%

Employer Coverage

6.88%

Medicaid

7.61%

Medicare

17.7%

Non-Group

1.97%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Orono, ME grew by 14.4% from 3.1% to 3.55%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Orono, ME changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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