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Poverty in Maine -
2003
County Profiles: Aroostook County
People
Aroostook County's people are poorer, older, and have considerably
lower levels of educational attainment than in the state as a whole. The
county has been steadily losing residents, especially younger people.
This out-migration impacts on figures related to employment, poverty,
and the overall demographic profile of the county. As reported in Census
2000:
- Per-capita and median income are both below the state's averages
by 23%.
- The household poverty rate is considerably higher than in the
state as a whole. A higher proportion of below-poverty households
consists of married-couple families and people living alone. Half of
the people living alone are age 65 or over.
- Older persons (age 65 or over) represent a higher proportion of
those under poverty than in the state as a whole.
- A considerably lower proportion of the Aroostook population has
college degrees (Associate or Bachelor's) than in the state as a
whole. The county has the highest proportion with less than a high
school education of any county in the state.
| Population
Poverty Status, by Age |
| |
Below Poverty |
Above Poverty |
(Number) |
County
(10,313) |
State
(135,501) |
County
(61,680) |
State
(1,105,392) |
| Age |
|
| Under 18 |
26.9% |
29.6% |
21.9% |
23.0% |
| 18-64 |
54.8% |
57.2% |
62.0% |
62.8% |
| 65 and over |
18.3% |
13.2% |
16.1% |
14.2% |
| Education Levels |
| |
County |
State |
| (Population age 25 and over) |
(51,439) |
(869,893) |
| Less that high school |
23.1% |
14.6% |
| High school |
38.5% |
36.2% |
| Some college, no degree |
17.3% |
19.0% |
| Associate degree |
6.5% |
7.4% |
| Bachelor's or higher |
14.6% |
22.9% |
| Household
Poverty Status, by Household Type (as percent of all
households) |
(Number households) |
County
(30,317)
|
State
(518,372) |
| Poverty Status |
Below |
Above |
Below |
Above |
| Family Households |
|
|
Married-couple |
3.5% |
52.7% |
2.1% |
51.3% |
| Female
householder, no spouse |
2.7% |
5.3% |
2.6% |
6.6% |
| Male
householder, no spouse |
0.5% |
3.0% |
0.5% |
3.0% |
| Other Households |
|
| Single
person, under age 65 |
4.2% |
10.7% |
3.0% |
13.1% |
| Single
person, age 65 or over |
4.2% |
8.6% |
2.1% |
8.7% |
| Other
non-family |
1.2% |
3.5% |
1.2% |
5.8% |
| Total households |
16.1% |
83.9% |
11.5% |
88.5% |
Income and Employment
Employment figures for the county are somewhat worse than state
averages.
- The average unemployment rate as reported by the Maine Department
of Labor for 2002 was 4.9% in Aroostook County, compared with the
state average of 4.4%.
- Compared to the state as a whole, a higher proportion of Aroostook
households below poverty (Census 2000) reported that no one in the
household worked in the past year. This is not unexpected, given the
higher proportion of older persons in the county, who are no longer
in the work force.
| Income |
| |
County |
State |
| Median Household Income |
$28,837 |
$37,240 |
| Per-capita Income |
$15,033 |
$19,533 |
| (Number households) |
(30,317) |
(518,372) |
| Household Income, by ranges |
| Under $20,000 |
35.2% |
25.0% |
| $20,000 - $29,999 |
16.6% |
14.9% |
| $30,000 and above |
48.2% |
60.2% |
| Household
Poverty Status and Employment |
| |
Percent
of Households Below Poverty |
Percent
of Households Above Poverty |
| |
Full-time
work |
Less than
full-time |
Did not
work |
Full-time
work |
Less than
full-time |
Did not
work |
| Family Households |
14.4% |
42.1% |
43.5% |
62.3% |
20.4% |
17.3% |
| Other Households |
3.7% |
27.1% |
69.2% |
39.4% |
24.2% |
36.4% |
| Unemployment Rate (2002 monthly
average) |
|
County |
State |
| Labor force |
37,010 |
686,200 |
| Percent unemployed |
4.9% |
4.4% |
Housing and Transportation
Housing is more affordable than in the state as a whole. However,
affordable housing is a problem for the poorest households (especially
those with incomes under $10,000).
Percent of
Households with Income Below $35,000
Paying More Than 35% of Monthly Income for Housing |
| |
County |
State |
| Income |
Renters |
Owners |
All Households |
Renters |
Owners |
All Households |
| Under $10,000 |
56.0% |
64.7% |
58.9% |
68.6% |
75.5% |
70.7% |
| $10,000 - $19,999 |
26.0% |
26.1% |
26.1% |
52.1% |
39.6% |
46.4% |
| $20,000 - $34,999 |
5.3% |
11.1% |
8.8% |
12.9% |
23.6% |
19.1% |
| Households
Lacking Access to Vehicle |
| |
County |
State |
(Number) |
Renters
(8,177) |
Owners
(22,179) |
All Households
(30,356) |
Renters
(147,280) |
Owners
(370,920) |
All Households
(518,200) |
|
%
|
22.0% |
3.6% |
8.5% |
18.5% |
3.3% |
7.6% |
Benefits and Assistance
Aroostook County residents were considerably above the state average
in participation in DHS benefits programs (TANF and food stamps) and in
overall participation in the LIHEAP program in the last fiscal year
(October 1, 2001-September 30, 2002).
- The LIHEAP program served a considerably higher proportion of
total county households with older persons (27.5%), compared with
13.2% of such households statewide.
- Compared with the LIHEAP program statewide, older-person
households represented a considerably larger proportion of the
overall LIHEAP caseload in Aroostook.
- A higher proportion of LIHEAP households in Aroostook had social
security or social security disability income.
| TANF/Food Stamps
and LIHEAP Benefits* |
| |
County |
State |
TANF &/or Food Stamps
(monthly avg. unduplicated count) |
Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
| Cases |
5,238 |
17.30% |
55,445 |
10.7% |
| Recipients |
9,425 |
12.8% |
108,767 |
8.5% |
| LIHEAP |
|
| Households |
5,630 |
18.6% |
46,994 |
9.1% |
| Recipients |
11,309 |
15.3% |
98,825 |
7.8% |
| Hslds age 65 and over |
2,415 |
27.5% |
16,937 |
13.2% |
| *Percentage cases or
households is % of total county or state households; percentage
recipients is % of county or state population. |
| LIHEAP Client
Household Characteristics* |
| |
County |
State |
| (Number households) |
(5,630) |
(46,994) |
| Average household income |
$11,432 |
$11,209 |
| % Single person households |
45.2% |
45.5% |
| % Receiving food stamps |
50.3% |
49.7% |
| % Medicaid |
58.4% |
57.5% |
| % SSI |
23.9% |
22.9% |
| % SS/SSD |
60.8% |
52.8% |
| % With wages or self-employment |
9.7% |
8.6% |
| % LIHEAP applicants age 65 and over |
42.9% |
36.0% |
| *Percentage is % of
LIHEAP households |
|
