Poverty in Maine - 2006
Somerset County Profile

• Population growth in Somerset County from 2000 to 2005 (1.5%) was lower than the state average (3.7%). Somerset is among the four counties with the highest estimated proportion of the population under the age of 18.

• Somerset County’s individual poverty rate in 2003 was considerably above the state rate, both for the population as a whole and for those under 18. The county had the second highest poverty rate among Maine’s counties.

• Median household income in Somerset County in 2003 was 18% lower than the state median income. It was 15% below the 200% poverty level for a four-person household.

• The 2004 ‘livable wage’ estimate for a four-person household (2 parents, both wage earners, and 2 children) in Somerset County was more than twice as high as the
  poverty level for a four-person household.

• The proportion of per-capita personal income in 2004 from net earnings was slightly lower in Somerset County than
  in the state as a whole, and the proportion from transfer payments was considerably higher. This is consistent with the county’s high poverty rate.

• Somerset County’s monthly average unemployment rate for 2005 was considerably higher than the state average, and was the second highest among Maine’s counties.

• Somerset County residents were considerably higher than the state average in participation rates for food stamps in FY05. The county was tied with Washington County for the highest level of food stamp participation rates for individuals, and was the second highest for households.

• Almost half of the school-age population in Somerset County was eligible for free and reduced school lunch in FY06, considerably higher than in the state as a whole. Somerset ranked third highest among Maine’s counties in the proportion eligible for this benefit.

• The proportion of households receiving LIHEAP benefits in FY05 was considerably higher than in the state as a whole. Compared to households statewide, a higher proportion in Somerset County had members over 65, and a higher proportion received food stamps, Medicaid, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

• A considerably smaller proportion of the Somerset County population has college degrees (associate or bachelor’s) than in the state as a whole, and a considerably greater proportion has less than a high school education. Somerset has the lowest proportion of people with a bachelor’s degree among Maine’s counties.

• Over the most recent four-year period for which county-level data are available, the poverty rate trend in Somerset 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. The poverty rate in 2003 was almost a percentage point higher than in 2000.

• Over the four-year period from FY02 to FY05, the number of Somerset County households receiving food stamps increased each year; the number in FY05 was 43.7% greater than in FY02, which was somewhat less than the statewide increase of 49% in this time period.

• The number of Somerset County households receiving LIHEAP benefits remained fairly stable from FY02 to FY05, ranging from a high of 2,998 households in FY05 to a low of 2,874 in FY04.

• From 2002 to 2005, Somerset County’s monthly average unemployment rate reached a peak in 2003, declined substantially in 2004 and remained the same in 2005.

• The percentage of school-age children eligible for free and reduced school lunch in Somerset County increased from FY03 to FY06, showing a similar pattern of increase as the state as a whole.

MAPS AND GRAPHS

• Households Receiving LIHEAP Benefits

• Income, Poverty, Employment, Unemployment

• Benefits trends

• Per-capita Personal Income

• Poverty and Livable Wages

• Food Stamps and LIHEAP Benefits

• Poverty, Food Stamps, LIHEAP

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