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Poverty
in Maine - 2006
Lincoln County Profile
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Population growth
in Lincoln County from 2000 to 2005 (4.8%) was above the state
average (3.7%). Lincoln had the highest estimated proportion
of those in the age 65 and older age group in 2005. Both the
population increase and this age profile are likely due to the
popularity of Lincoln County as a destination for relatively
well-off retirees.
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Lincoln County’s
individual poverty rate in 2003 was slightly lower than the
state rate, both for the population as a whole and for those
under age 18.
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Median household
income in Lincoln County in 2003 was somewhat higher than the
state median income. It was 8% higher than the 200% poverty
level for a four-person household.
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Because of the
high cost of living, especially housing and child care, the
2004 ‘livable wage’ estimate for a four-person household
(2 parents, both wage earners, and 2 children) in Lincoln
County was more than 2.6 times higher than the poverty level
for a four-person household. The livable wage level in Lincoln
County was among the highest in the state, surpassed only by
that in Cumberland and York counties.
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The proportion of
per-capita personal income in 2004 from net earnings was
considerably lower in Lincoln County than in the state as a
whole, while the proportion from dividends, interest and rent
was considerably higher, and was the highest of any county in
the state. This personal income distribution may reflect the
higher proportion of relatively well-off retirees in the
county.
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Lincoln County’s
monthly average unemployment rate for 2005 was somewhat lower
than the state average.
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Lincoln County
residents were under the state average in participation rates
for food stamps in FY05.
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The proportion of
the school-age population eligible for free and reduced school
lunch in FY06 was close to that in the state as a whole.
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The proportion of
households receiving LIHEAP benefits in FY05 was almost
identical to the statewide level.
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A larger
proportion of the Lincoln County population has bachelor’s
degrees than in the state as a whole, and a smaller proportion
has less than a high school education.
TREND HIGHLIGHTS
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Over the most
recent four-year period for which county-level data are
available, the poverty rate trend in Lincoln County generally
mirrors that of the state as a whole. The estimated percentage
of individuals below poverty increased each year from 2000 to
2002, with a decrease in 2003.
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Over the four-year
period from FY02 to FY05, the number of Lincoln County
households receiving food stamps increased each year; the
number in FY05 was 52.8% greater than in FY02, slightly
greater than the statewide increase of 49% in this time
period.
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The number of
Lincoln County households receiving LIHEAP benefits declined
slightly each year from FY02 to FY04, with a slight increase
in FY05.
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From 2002 to 2005,
Lincoln County’s monthly average unemployment rate increased
each year, reaching a peak in 2005. This trend is different
than that of the state as a whole, where there was a decrease
in the unemployment rate from 2004 to 2005.
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The percentage of
school-age children eligible for free and reduced school lunch
in Lincoln County increased slightly from FY03 to FY06,
showing a similar pattern of increase
as the state as a whole.
MAPS AND GRAPHS
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