Maine

How Maine ranks among the states

Maine ranks 43rd on the State Distress Index. Its jobless rate and bankruptcy filing rate are among the country’s lower ones. Still, its score does not describe every county: Washington County sits at the opposite end of Maine’s county ranking.

Maine’s quarterly score over time

Is Maine expensive to live in? Rent is lower than the U.S. median

The Census Bureau put Maine’s median gross rent at $1,139 a month in its 2020 to 2024 survey, below the U.S. median of $1,413. Yet 23.2% of Maine renters spent at least half their income on housing in 2024. Those are different surveys, and neither measures the whole cost of living.

Housing costs vary across Maine. The chart shows how often rent and utilities took at least half a renter household’s income, compared with the national share.

A basic budget is broader than rent

The MIT Living Wage Calculator estimates $51,465 before tax for one adult with no children. Its budget includes food, medical care, transport and other necessities. It is an estimate for a particular household type, not a claim that every Mainer needs the same income.

Which Maine counties are poorest and most distressed?

Washington County is first on both lists: 16.2% of its residents lived in poverty in 2024, and it scores 60 on our County Distress Index. Somerset and Aroostook follow on distress. Cumberland County has the lowest county distress score, 8, while York has the lowest poverty rate, 7.5%.

Every Maine county, by score

The 16 counties span three score groups: 4 score from 50 to 69, 6 from 30 to 49, and 6 below 30. No county reaches 70.

All 16 Maine counties, ranked →

How is Maine’s economy doing? Joblessness stayed below the U.S. rate

Maine’s unemployment rate was 3.2% in August 2026, against 4.1% nationwide (Bureau of Labor Statistics). The state rate was 3.3% a year earlier. Unemployment counts people looking for work; it does not measure pay or the price of housing.

The monthly line gives the longer job picture. Maine’s rate remained in a narrow band through much of the past two years, according to its labor department.

For jobs and unemployment benefits, see the Maine Department of Labor. The county ranking above shows a different measure of household strain.

Is Maine a poor state? Its poverty rate is below the national figure

The Census Bureau estimated Maine’s 2024 poverty rate at 10.6%, against 12.1% for the U.S. A typical Maine household earned $76,372, compared with $81,604 across the country. These state figures conceal Washington County’s 16.2% poverty rate.

A single year can miss a longer shift. The Census series below places Maine’s current estimate beside earlier state estimates and the national line.

Food help reaches a different group

147,218 people received SNAP food benefits in July 2026, or 10.4% of Maine’s population. The national share was 10.5%. SNAP eligibility and the Census poverty measure use different rules, so the two rates should not be subtracted.

What changed in Maine in the past year

1. Oct. 1, 2026

   Electric-bill discounts move toward automatic enrollment

   Maine began using existing public-benefit records to identify households eligible for the Low Income Assistance Program. The state says participating utilities will apply the discount unless a household opts out of data sharing.

   Maine Public Utilities Commission, consumer assistance programs

2. Oct. 1, 2026

   A new SNAP time-limit period begins

   Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services says a new time-limit period began for adults covered by the federal work rule. Eligibility and exemptions depend on household circumstances.

   Maine Department of Health and Human Services, SNAP

3. Sept. 18, 2026

   The August jobs report shows little change

   Maine’s labor department reported 3.2% unemployment in August. It said the rate had stayed in a narrow range for many consecutive months.

   Maine’s labor department, August employment situation

4. July 29, 2026

   New state laws include housing and property-tax measures

   Maine said its supplemental budget expanded the Property Tax Fairness Credit and funded affordable housing. The announcement describes enacted measures; it does not establish their effect on rents.

   Office of Governor Janet Mills, July 28, 2026

How many Maine borrowers are behind on payments?

In early 2025, 12.6% of Mainers with a credit record had a debt at least 90 days late; the comparable U.S. figure was 17.2%. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia counts people. Its separate card, auto and mortgage measures all place Maine below the national figures.

The bars use one source and one quarter for each loan type. Collections is shown separately because it can include debts beyond those loans.

Serious late payments were less common in Maine across cards, autos and mortgages

Share of borrowers at least 90 days late, and share of people with a debt in collections, first quarter of 2025.

Card borrowers 90+ days late

Maine 10.4% U.S. 13.5%

Auto borrowers 90+ days late

Maine 4.8% U.S. 8.5%

Mortgage borrowers 90+ days late

Maine 0.9% U.S. 1.2%

People with debt in collections

Maine 11.7% U.S. 13.2%

Dollars late are a second measure

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York measures balances, rather than people. At the end of 2025, 9.8% of Maine card balances were at least 90 days late, compared with 12.4% nationally. The table below keeps those dollars apart from the Philadelphia Fed’s borrower shares.

Behind on a mortgage? Free help in Maine →

Maine had one of the lowest bankruptcy rates in 2025

The U.S. Courts counted 595 Maine bankruptcy cases in 2025. Adjusted for population, that was 42.1 filings for every 100,000 residents. That was 2nd lowest among the states and D.C.; the U.S. rate was 166.3. Filings fell from 638 in 2024 (Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts).

A court filing is different from a late payment or a debt in collections. The national bankruptcy series explains what the counts include.

What happens in a Maine foreclosure?

A Maine residential foreclosure generally goes through court. State law requires a written right-to-cure notice before a lender files; eligible owner-occupied cases can enter the court’s Foreclosure Diversion Program. The Maine foreclosure guide explains the notices, court process and help available without applying a general timeline to any one case.

In September 2025, 1.3% of Maine mortgages were 30 to 89 days late, against 1.6% nationally (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau). That is a mortgage-performance measure, not a foreclosure count.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency estimated 2.7% of Maine mortgages had less than 10% equity in the second quarter of 2026, against 4.7% nationally. Low equity does not by itself predict foreclosure.

What are Maine mortgage borrowers reporting?

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau logged 1,446 Maine mortgage complaints since January 2012. The latest ten about payments or help with a mortgage appear below. A complaint is a person’s account, not a verified finding against a company or a rate for all borrowers.

What to watch before the next edition

The next edition follows the next index release. These scheduled releases can update the jobs and housing picture without rewriting this dated edition.

1. Nov. 20, 2026

   October state unemployment report

   Maine’s labor department schedules its October employment report for this date. The unemployment series shown here ends in August 2026.

   Maine’s labor department, data release schedule

2. Dec. 18, 2026

   November state unemployment report

   The scheduled Maine release will show whether joblessness remained in its recent narrow range.

   Maine’s labor department, data release schedule

Where Maine ranks highest and lowest

Each row compares Maine with the nation for the named source and period. A high rank describes the value, not whether it is good.