Somerset County, ME

County

Add Comparison

2024 Population

50,959

US Senator

Susan Collins

Republican Party

US Senator

Angus King

Independent Party

2024 Median Age

0.213% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

14.2%

8.8% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$58,179

3.52% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$166,900

7.54% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

22,984

1.09% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Somerset County, 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.

99.4% of the residents in Somerset County, ME are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Somerset County, ME are Kennebec Valley Community College (435 degrees awarded in 2024).

In 2024, the median property value in Somerset County, ME was $166,900, and the homeownership rate was 77.4%.

Most people in Somerset County, ME drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28 minutes. The average car ownership in Somerset County, ME was 2 cars per household.

Somerset County, ME borders Aroostook County, ME, Franklin County, ME, Kennebec County, ME, Penobscot County, ME, Piscataquis County, ME, and Waldo County, ME.

About the photo: Skowhegan, the county seat of Somerset County, Maine,

Photo by David Wilson

United States Maine

Population & Diversity

Somerset County, ME is home to a population of 51k people, from which 99.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.48% of Somerset County, ME residents were born outside of the country (755 people).

In 2024, there were 41.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (47.8k people) in Somerset County, ME than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.15k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 588 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.4%

2024 Citizenship

99.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.4% of Somerset County, ME residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Somerset County, ME was 99.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Somerset County, ME

White (Non-Hispanic)
47.8k ± 228
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.15k ± 73
Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
588 ± 221

1.54%

Hispanic Population

787 people

1.54% of the people in Somerset County, ME are hispanic (787 people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Canada
10,285 ± 2,481 people
China
2,950 ± 1,332 people
Other Africa, not specified
2,714 ± 1,278 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Maine was Canada, the natal country of 10,285 Maine residents, followed by China with 2,950 and Other Africa, not specified with 2,714.

Foreign-Born Population

1.48%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

755 people

1.47%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

749 people

As of 2024, 1.48% of Somerset County, ME residents (755 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 Somerset County, ME was 1.47%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,607 ± 222
Gulf War (1990s)
1,033 ± 276
Gulf War (2001-)
676 ± 153

Somerset County, ME has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.56 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Health

92.5% of the population of Somerset County, ME has health coverage, with 36.4% on employee plans, 24.1% on Medicaid, 14.8% on Medicare, 14.5% on non-group plans, and 2.66% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Somerset County, ME see 1,745 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,745 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 4258 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 479 patients per year.

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

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,745 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Somerset County, ME

Primary care physicians in Somerset County, ME see an average of 1,745 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,745 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Somerset County, ME in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 19.4% under 18 years, 17.1% between 18 and 34 years, 40.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 22.7% over 64 years.

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

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

Uninsured People

7.51%

Uninsured

36.4%

Employer Coverage

24.1%

Medicaid

14.8%

Medicare

14.5%

Non-Group

2.66%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Somerset County, ME declined by 3.89% from 7.81% to 7.51%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the average number of mentally unhealthy days reported in past 30 days (age-adjusted) was 6.18 in Somerset County, ME.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Somerset County, ME.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 37.3% in Somerset County, ME.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Somerset County, ME.

Clinical Care

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 9.69% in Somerset County, ME.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Somerset County, ME.

Economy

The economy of Somerset County, ME employs 23k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Somerset County, ME were Health Care & Social Assistance (3,587 people), Retail Trade (3,048 people), and Manufacturing (2,861 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($81,477), Information ($63,399), and Transportation & Warehousing ($60,496).

Employment

Occupations

23k

2024 Value

± 1,032

1.09%

1 Year growth

± 6.42%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Somerset County, ME grew at a rate of 1.09%, from 22.7k employees to 23k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Somerset County, ME, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,561 people), Sales & Related Occupations (2,135 people), and Management Occupations (2,093 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Somerset County, 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

23k

2024 Value

± 1,032

1.09%

1 Year growth

± 6.42%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Somerset County, ME grew at a rate of 1.09%, from 22.7k employees to 23k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Somerset County, ME, are Health Care & Social Assistance (3,587 people), Retail Trade (3,048 people), and Manufacturing (2,861 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Somerset County, ME, though some of these residents may live in Somerset County, ME and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,113

Median earning men ± $2,356

$34,571

Median earning women ± $2,041

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($65,909), Information ($64,254), and Manufacturing ($64,059).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($59,375), Wholesale Trade ($48,304), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($46,053).

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.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

137
Construction
79
Other Services (except Public Administration)
74
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$195k
Manufacturing
$136k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$78.1k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

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 Somerset County, 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2012/11/14/165149633/maine-independent-angus-king-to-caucus-with-senate-democrats |title=Maine Independent Angus King to Caucus with Senate Democrats |publisher=National Public Radio |first=Padmananda |last=Rama |date=November 14, 2012 |access-date=November 30, 2020 |quote=Angus King of Maine, who cruised to victory last week running as an independent, said Wednesday that he will caucus with Senate Democrats... The Senate's other independent, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, also caucuses with the Democrats.}}

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 2024, universities in Somerset County, ME awarded 435 degrees. The student population of Somerset County, ME in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 831 male students and 1,658 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Somerset County, ME are White (390 and 90.3%), Two or More Races (15 and 3.47%), Hispanic or Latino (14 and 3.24%), and Unknown (6 and 1.39%).

The largest universities in Somerset County, ME by number of degrees awarded are Kennebec Valley Community College (435 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Somerset County, ME are General Health Services (38 and 8.74%), General Marketing & Marketing Management (35 and 8.05%), and Electrician (32 and 7.36%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 2,489 students enrolled in Somerset County, ME, 33.4% men and 66.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,148 records, of which 66.9% were women and 33.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Marketing & Marketing Management
33 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
32 degrees awarded
General Studies
26 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Somerset County, ME was General Marketing & Marketing Management with 33 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Kennebec Valley Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

435 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Kennebec Valley Community College with 435 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 187 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Somerset County, ME, which is 0.754 times less than the 248 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 390 degrees mean that there were 26 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Two or More Races, with 15 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

Public, 2-year ($2,880) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,276) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,400) 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 Somerset County, ME was $166,900 in 2024, which is 0.502 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $155,200 to $166,900, a 7.54% increase. The homeownership rate in Somerset County, ME is 77.4%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Somerset County, ME have an average commute time of 28 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Somerset County, ME is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 13% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Somerset County, ME. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.83%.

Housing

Property

$166,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,189

$17,968

Median Property Taxes

±$842

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 Somerset County, ME the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

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

Rent vs Own

77.4%

Homeownership

2024

61.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 77.4% of the housing units in Somerset County, ME were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 77.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Somerset County, 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.

$58,179

Median Household Income

± $3,012

23.2k

Number of Households

± 1,025

In 2024, the median household income of the 23.2k households in Somerset County, ME grew to $58,179 from the previous year's value of $56,199.

The following chart displays the households in Somerset County, 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

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

0.439

2024 Wage GINI in Maine

0.439

2023 Wage GINI in Maine

In 2024, the income inequality in Maine was 0.439 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.15% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Maine was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (76.5%)
Worked At Home (11%)
Carpooled (8.44%)

In 2024, 76.5% of workers in Somerset County, ME drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11%) and those who carpooled to work (8.44%).

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

28 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Somerset County, ME have a longer commute time (28 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.15% of the workforce in Somerset County, ME have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Somerset County, ME. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.83%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

14.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Somerset County, ME (7.1k out of 50k 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 Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Females 65 - 74.

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

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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 18% of the children was living in poverty in Somerset County, ME. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7.8%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 136 in Somerset County, ME. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 37.6% per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.