Poverty in Maine - 2006
Washington County Profile

• Washington County was one of only two counties in Maine that experienced continued population decline from 2000 to 2005, a loss of 1.5% compared with the statewide population increase of 3.7%. Among Maine’s counties in 2005, Washington had a much lower proportion in the 18-64 age group, and had the second highest proportion of the population age 65 and over.

• Washington County’s individual poverty rate in 2003 was considerably higher than the state rate, and was the highest of any county. This was true for the population as a whole and for those under 18.

• Median household income in Washington County in 2003 was the lowest of all Maine’s counties, almost 28% below the state’s level, and 25% 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 Washington 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 lower in Washington County than in any county, and the proportion from transfer payments was higher than in any county, amounting to over one-third of per-capita personal income. This income pattern is consistent with the county’s older population and high poverty rate.

• Washington County’s monthly average unemployment rate for 2005 was more than three percentage points higher than the state average, and was the highest of Maine’s counties.

• Washington County residents were considerably above the state average participation rate for food stamps in FY05.

• Over half of the county’s the school-age population was eligible for free and reduced school lunch in FY06, considerably higher than in the state as a whole and highest among Maine’s counties.

• The proportion of households in Washington County receiving LIHEAP benefits in FY05 was considerably higher than in the state as a whole. Compared with LIHEAP households statewide, a much larger proportion in Washington County had household members age 65 over, and a larger proportion receiving Medicaid.

• A considerably lower proportion of the Washington 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.

• Over the most recent four-year period for which county-level data are available, the poverty rate trend in Washington County mirrors the statewide trend. The estimated percentage of individuals below poverty increased each year from 2000 to 2002, with a decrease in 2003. The county’s poverty rate in 2003, while still highest in the state, was lower than in the preceding three-year period

• Over the four-year period from FY02 to FY05, the number of Washington County households receiving food stamps increased each year; the number in FY05 was 40.5% greater than in FY02, but this was less than the statewide increase of 49% in this time period.

• The number of Washington County households receiving LIHEAP decreased somewhat each year from FY02 to FY05.

• From 2002 to 2005, Washington County’s monthly average unemployment rate fluctuated more than the statewide rate, and more than in most other counties, with the highest rate in this period in 2003 and the lowest in 2004.

• The percentage of school-age children eligible for free and reduced school lunch in Washington County decreased each year from FY03 to FY05, and increased in FY06. This was different than the statewide pattern of increase each year during this period.

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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