About one in nine people in Oxford County, Maine, lives below the poverty line
In Oxford County, 11.3% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 67% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Oxford County's score
In Oxford County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 65.8. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 29.1. Bankruptcy filings ran at 43.4 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Oxford 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, Oxford County is worse off than most counties on adults 25 to 54 not working (25.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.8 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 rent20.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.4% · fiscal year 202766th percentile
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- 59.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202641st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
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- 51.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.5% · 202441st percentile
- People with a disability18.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance8.6% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,487 · 202453rd percentile
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- 30.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.8% · August 202522nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.9% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
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- 29.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.5% · August 202551st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people43.4 · 20257th 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 Oxford 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 Oxford County, 23.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Oxford County
Maine
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Oxford County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 32.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Oxford County, Maine, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Oxford County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.5% in 2010 to 18.5% in 2011.
The share of households in Oxford County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 14.7% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Oxford County, Maine.
How Oxford County has changed
Oxford County's population rose 38% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 48,319. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Oxford County, Maine.
The number of jobs located in Oxford County had its largest drop, from 18,005 in 2005 to 16,368 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Oxford County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990
High on the chart: 18,192 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Oxford County, Maine.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.0% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,313 | 2024 $65,487 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Oxford County's history
2006
A thunderstorm in June 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flood in April 2007 did $2.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 57,833. The 2020 Census counted 57,777, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
2023
A flash flood in June 2023 did $2.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A flood in December 2023 did $5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
37 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Oxford County, 23 of them for flooding. FEMA
Oxford County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Oxford County, in Maine and New Hampshire, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Oxford County ranks 2nd of the seven; Coos County is highest, at 34.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coos County, NH | 47 | 13.8% | 34.0% |
| Androscoggin County, ME | 47 | 12.0% | 26.9% |
| Oxford County, ME | 45 | 11.3% | 32.5% |
| Franklin County, ME | 34 | 13.3% | 31.1% |
| Carroll County, NH | 13 | 7.9% | 20.8% |
| York County, ME | 12 | 7.5% | 19.5% |
| 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 Oxford County the poorest county in Maine?
No, Oxford County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 8th 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, Oxford County ranks 6th of 16 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Oxford 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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Community Concepts, Inc. Also Dba Homequestmaine
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 Oxford 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 Oxford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.