In Aroostook County, Maine, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Aroostook County, 25.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Aroostook County's score
In Aroostook County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 72.0. Jobs come next, at 70.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Aroostook County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Aroostook County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (2.8%, August 2025) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (68.3, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.1 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.5% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.7% · fiscal year 202786th percentile
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- 70.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202673rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.6% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
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- 66.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.9% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.8% · 202453rd percentile
- People with a disability20.6% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance8.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,965 · 202482nd percentile
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- 28.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.4% · second quarter of 202647th percentile
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- 26.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.7% · August 202533rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people68.3 · 202518th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Aroostook County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Aroostook County, 25.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Aroostook County
Maine
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Aroostook County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 35.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Aroostook County, Maine, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Aroostook County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 20.6% in 2019 to 18.4% in 2020.
The share of households in Aroostook County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 20.7%
Low on the chart: 18.4% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Aroostook County, Maine.
How Aroostook County has changed
Aroostook County's population had its largest drop, from 80,702 in 1994 to 74,227 in 1999.
Aroostook County's population fell 30% from 1969 to 2024, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2019 to 2024, reaching 66,776. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Aroostook County, Maine.
The number of jobs located in Aroostook County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 27,251 in 2015 to 25,249 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Aroostook County fell 16% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 30,396 in 1990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Aroostook County, Maine.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.9% | 2024 14.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,767 | 2024 $54,965 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Aroostook County's history
1954
A tornado in August 1954 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 106,064. The 2020 Census counted 67,105, 63% of the peak. Census Bureau
1994
Loring Air Force Base closure. Wikipedia
2014
A flood in April 2014 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flood in April 2018 did $2.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A thunderstorm in July 2025 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Aroostook County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Aroostook County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Aroostook County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Aroostook County ranks 4th of the five; Washington County is highest, at 39.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, ME | 60 | 16.2% | 39.7% |
| Somerset County, ME | 56 | 14.5% | 35.3% |
| Aroostook County, ME | 54 | 14.9% | 35.3% |
| Piscataquis County, ME | 52 | 14.0% | 35.8% |
| Penobscot County, ME | 44 | 14.2% | 27.7% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Aroostook County the poorest county in Maine?
No, Aroostook County's poverty rate was 14.9% in 2024, 2nd highest of 16 in Maine (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Washington County, at 16.2%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Aroostook County ranks 3rd of 16 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Aroostook County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Pine Tree Legal Assistance
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Aroostook County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Aroostook County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.