County facts · Population · October 25, 2026
Maine Population by County, 2025 Census Estimates
Maine population by county: July 2025 Census estimates for all 16 counties, change since 2020, density, and a link to each official parcel map.
Looking for Maine population by county? The Census Bureau estimates that Maine had 1,414,874 residents on July 1, 2025, spread across 16 counties. Cumberland County is the most populous, with 317,222 people (22% of the state), and Piscataquis County is the least populous, with 17,409.
The table below lists every county with its 2025 estimate, its April 2020 starting point, the change, people per square mile, and a link to its official parcel viewer.
Maine population at a glance
- Counties: 16
- Statewide, July 1, 2025: 1,414,874 (April 1, 2020 estimates base: 1,363,218; change +51,656, +3.8%)
- Most populous: Cumberland County (317,222); least populous: Piscataquis County (17,409)
- Median county: about 54,396 residents (half of the counties are smaller)
- The 5 largest counties hold 67% of all Maine residents
- Counties with 1,000,000+ residents: 0 · 100,000+: 5 · under 10,000: 0
- Statewide density: about 46 people per square mile of land
Maine population by county, July 2025 (all 16)
Percent change runs from the April 1, 2020 estimates base to July 1, 2025. People per square mile is the July 2025 estimate divided by the county's land area in the Census Bureau's 2020 Gazetteer file, so lakes and bays are left out.
How Maine's population is spread out
Grouping the counties by size shows how concentrated the state is:
| Residents (July 2025) | Counties | Total residents | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250,000 to 999,999 | 1 | 317,222 | 22% |
| 100,000 to 249,999 | 4 | 625,955 | 44% |
| 25,000 to 99,999 | 10 | 454,288 | 32% |
| 10,000 to 24,999 | 1 | 17,409 | 1% |
1 county with at least 250,000 residents holds 22% of the state's population.
Most and least densely populated
The most crowded counties by people per square mile of land:
- Cumberland County: 379 per sq mi (317,222 people on 836 sq mi)
- Androscoggin County: 249 per sq mi (116,487 people on 468 sq mi)
- York County: 224 per sq mi (222,434 people on 991 sq mi)
- Sagadahoc County: 150 per sq mi (37,979 people on 254 sq mi)
- Kennebec County: 149 per sq mi (129,067 people on 867 sq mi)
The most thinly settled:
- Piscataquis County: 4.4 per sq mi (17,409 people on 3,961 sq mi)
- Aroostook County: 10.0 per sq mi (66,609 people on 6,671 sq mi)
- Washington County: 12 per sq mi (31,334 people on 2,563 sq mi)
- Somerset County: 13 per sq mi (51,620 people on 3,924 sq mi)
- Franklin County: 18 per sq mi (30,824 people on 1,697 sq mi)
About these numbers
- They are estimates. Between censuses the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program updates county totals each year from births, deaths and migration records. The next full count is the 2030 census.
- The base is April 1, 2020. The estimates start from an April 1, 2020 "estimates base" built from the 2020 census, which is why it is slightly different from the published census count.
- Each new release revises the past. A newer vintage can change earlier years as well, so compare numbers from the same release, as this page does.
- Statewide total. The counties add up exactly to the statewide figure of 1,414,874 in the same file.
Using population numbers in a land search
- Big counties, busy offices. In the most populous counties, parcel maps and deed records are usually online and searchable, but recording and permit offices are busier. Allow for that if you are on a deadline.
- Small counties, fewer sales. In counties with only a few thousand people, land changes hands less often, so there are fewer recent sales to compare a price with. Recorded deeds and the local assessor's sales records are the best source.
- Density hints at lot size. A low people-per-square-mile figure usually means farms, ranches and timber tracts; a high one means subdivided lots. The parcel viewer shows the actual parcel lines.
- Check the official map. Use the parcel viewer link in the table for boundaries, parcel numbers and owner names, then confirm anything important with the local assessor and the office that records deeds.
Related guides
- Largest counties in Maine
- Maine landowner maps for hunting
- Most populous counties in the US
- Where people are moving in the US
More: All Maine counties on Platbookmapper
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county totals, Vintage 2025 (April 1, 2020 estimates base and July 1, 2020–2025 estimates, with components of change). Statewide totals are the sum of the counties and match the file's state row.
- U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer files, 2020 county land and water area (for people per square mile).
- Platbookmapper county GIS directory (live data file behind our county pages, pulled October 25, 2026) for each official parcel viewer.