Waldo County, ME

County

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2024 Population

40,192

US Senator

Susan Collins

Republican Party

US Senator

Angus King

Independent Party

2024 Median Age

47.4

1.07% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

12%

5.87% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$72,782

6.34% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$257,700

7.78% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

18,915

0.521% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Waldo 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% of the residents in Waldo County, ME are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Waldo County, ME was $257,700, and the homeownership rate was 81.9%.

Most people in Waldo County, ME drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Waldo County, ME was 2 cars per household.

Waldo County, ME borders Hancock County, ME, Kennebec County, ME, Knox County, ME, Lincoln County, ME, Penobscot County, ME, and Somerset County, ME.

About the photo: Belfast Waterfront

Photo by InAweofGod'sCreation

United States Maine

Population & Diversity

Waldo County, ME is home to a population of 40.2k people, from which 99% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.34% of Waldo County, ME residents were born outside of the country (940 people).

In 2024, there were 45.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (37.3k people) in Waldo County, ME than any other race or ethnicity. There were 827 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 761 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99%

2024 Citizenship

99%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99% of Waldo County, ME residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Waldo County, ME was 99%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Waldo County, ME

White (Non-Hispanic)
37.3k ± 326
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
827 ± 95
Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
761 ± 329

1.62%

Hispanic Population

651 people

1.62% of the people in Waldo County, ME are hispanic (651 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Waldo 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
10,100 ± 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

2.34%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

940 people

2.16%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

864 people

As of 2024, 2.34% of Waldo County, ME residents (940 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 Waldo County, ME was 2.16%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,034 ± 168
Gulf War (2001-)
430 ± 105
Gulf War (1990s)
370 ± 116

Waldo County, ME has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.4 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Waldo County, ME employs 18.9k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Waldo County, ME were Health Care & Social Assistance (2,967 people), Retail Trade (2,603 people), and Educational Services (2,005 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($161,705), Finance & Insurance ($80,268), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($65,100).

Employment

Occupations

18.9k

2024 Value

± 865

0.521%

1 Year growth

± 6.41%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Waldo County, ME grew at a rate of 0.521%, from 18.8k employees to 18.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Waldo County, ME, are Management Occupations (2,396 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,051 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (1,963 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Waldo 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

18.9k

2024 Value

± 865

0.521%

1 Year growth

± 6.41%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Waldo County, ME grew at a rate of 0.521%, from 18.8k employees to 18.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Waldo County, ME, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,967 people), Retail Trade (2,603 people), and Educational Services (2,005 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Waldo County, ME, though some of these residents may live in Waldo County, ME and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$49,642

Median earning men ± $2,028

$41,396

Median earning women ± $1,765

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($84,167), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($60,313), and Information ($59,000).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($56,607), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($51,429), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($47,569).

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

134
Construction
79
Other Services (except Public Administration)
67
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

$84.5k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$71.5k
Information
$63.7k
Manufacturing

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 Waldo 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.

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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Waldo County, ME was $257,700 in 2024, which is 0.775 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $239,100 to $257,700, a 7.78% increase. The homeownership rate in Waldo County, ME is 81.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Waldo County, ME have an average commute time of 26.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Waldo 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 Waldo County, ME. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.55%.

Housing

Property

$257,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$10,501

$14,312

Median Property Taxes

±$660

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 Waldo County, ME the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

81.9%

Homeownership

2024

60.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 81.9% of the housing units in Waldo County, ME were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 80.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Waldo 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.

$72,782

Median Household Income

± $3,352

17.5k

Number of Households

± 791

In 2024, the median household income of the 17.5k households in Waldo County, ME grew to $72,782 from the previous year's value of $68,441.

The following chart displays the households in Waldo 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 Waldo County, 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 (72%)
Worked At Home (15.6%)
Carpooled (7.75%)

In 2024, 72% of workers in Waldo County, ME drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (15.6%) and those who carpooled to work (7.75%).

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

26.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Waldo County, ME have a longer commute time (26.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.54% of the workforce in Waldo County, ME have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Waldo 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 Waldo County, ME distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Waldo County, ME have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Waldo County, ME. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.55%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

12% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Waldo County, ME (4.72k out of 39.3k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Waldo County, 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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 18.5% of the children was living in poverty in Waldo County, ME. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7.6%.

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
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.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 72.8 in Waldo County, ME. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 5.62 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

90.8% of the population of Waldo County, ME has health coverage, with 38.1% on employee plans, 17.3% on Medicaid, 19.2% on Medicare, 13.7% on non-group plans, and 2.5% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Waldo County, ME see 1,247 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,247 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2874 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 308 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.5% were men and 50.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,247 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Waldo County, ME

Primary care physicians in Waldo County, ME see an average of 1,247 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,247 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 19.2% under 18 years, 15.9% between 18 and 34 years, 39.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 25.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.5% were men and 50.5% were women.

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

Uninsured People

9.18%

Uninsured

38.1%

Employer Coverage

17.3%

Medicaid

19.2%

Medicare

13.7%

Non-Group

2.5%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Waldo County, ME declined by 2.8% from 9.44% to 9.18%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Waldo 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 number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 55.7 in Waldo County, ME.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Waldo 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 33.5% in Waldo County, ME.

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