Unemployment in Penobscot County, Maine, is lower than in 69% of U.S. counties
In Penobscot County, 3.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 69% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Penobscot County's score
In Penobscot County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 81.0. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 27.8. Bankruptcy filings ran at 49.6 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Penobscot 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, Penobscot County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (29.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.0 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 rent20.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.7% · fiscal year 202796th percentile
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- 50.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.2% · 202458th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.8% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability18.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance6.3% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,158 · 202451st percentile
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- 41.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202629th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 32.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.0% · second quarter of 202637th percentile
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- 27.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.1% · August 202546th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people49.6 · 20259th 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 Penobscot 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 Penobscot County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Penobscot County
Maine
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Penobscot County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Penobscot County, Maine, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Penobscot County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 16.6% in 2011 to 18.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Penobscot County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 13.9% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Penobscot County, Maine.
How Penobscot County has changed
Penobscot County's population rose by about a quarter to 156,840, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 145,402. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Penobscot County, Maine.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Penobscot County rose 13% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 71,782 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Penobscot County, Maine.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 14.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,155 | 2024 $66,158 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Penobscot County's history
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 153,923. The 2020 Census counted 152,199, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1970
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Penobscot County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Penobscot County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Penobscot County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Penobscot County ranks 6th of the seven; 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% |
| Waldo County, ME | 35 | 11.1% | 28.3% |
| Hancock County, ME | 30 | 10.3% | 22.8% |
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 Penobscot County the poorest county in Maine?
No, Penobscot County's poverty rate was 14.2% in 2024, 4th 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, Penobscot County ranks 7th of 16 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Penobscot 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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Penquis Community Action Program
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 Penobscot 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 Penobscot County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.