Unemployment in Cumberland County, Maine, is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties
In Cumberland County, 2.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cumberland County's score
In Cumberland County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 78.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 7.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cumberland 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.
Even so, Cumberland County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (29.2%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 78.9 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 rent20.1% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.2% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
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- 11.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.4% · August 202516th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people42.9 · 20256th percentile
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- 10.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.0% · 20248th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.9% · 20245th percentile
- People with a disability11.8% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$93,949 · 20248th percentile
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- 8.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.0% · second quarter of 20264th percentile
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- 7.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.3% · 2020 to 20249th 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 Cumberland 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 Cumberland County, 20.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cumberland County
Maine
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cumberland County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 15.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Cumberland County, Maine, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cumberland County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.2% in 2017 to 8.8% in 2018.
The share of households in Cumberland County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 7.5%
Low on the chart: 7.1% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cumberland County, Maine.
How Cumberland County has changed
Cumberland County's population had its largest rise, from 227,277 in 1984 to 242,046 in 1989.
Cumberland County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 313,809, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 281,969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cumberland County, Maine.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Cumberland County rose 39% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 166,455. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cumberland County, Maine.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.8% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.9% | 2024 8.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,979 | 2024 $93,949 |
The table uses 2.7% for 2025; the score uses 2.6% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Cumberland County's history
1996
A flash flood in October 1996 did $14.98 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flood in April 2007 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Lightning in July 2008 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 303,069, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A thunderstorm in July 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
39 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cumberland County, 19 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cumberland County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Cumberland County score higher than it does. Of the group, Cumberland County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Oxford County gets the largest, at 32.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Androscoggin County, ME | 47 | 12.0% | 26.9% |
| Oxford County, ME | 45 | 11.3% | 32.5% |
| York County, ME | 12 | 7.5% | 19.5% |
| Sagadahoc County, ME | 11 | 7.8% | 21.3% |
| Cumberland County, ME | 8 | 8.0% | 15.4% |
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 Cumberland County the poorest county in Maine?
No, Cumberland County's poverty rate was 8.0% in 2024, 14th 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, Cumberland County ranks 16th of 16 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cumberland 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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Avesta Housing Development Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Coastal Enterprises, Incorporated
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Cumberland 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 Cumberland County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.