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Poverty in Maine -
2003
County Profiles: Lincoln County
People
Lincoln County's people are somewhat older, economically better-off,
and have higher levels of educational attainment than in the state as a
whole. Lincoln is one of Maine's fastest growing counties. In recent
years especially, there has been an influx of relatively well-off
retirees, which impacts on the nature of poverty in the county. As
reported in Census 2000:
- Per-capita income is 6.3% above the state average, and median
household income is 3.9% above the state's median income.
- The household poverty rate is somewhat lower than in the state as
a whole. A slightly higher proportion of below-poverty households
consists of people age 65 or over living alone.
- Older persons (age 65 and up) represent a higher proportion of the
population, both below and above poverty, than in the state as a
whole.
- 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.
| Population
Poverty Status, by Age |
| |
Below Poverty |
Above Poverty |
(Number) |
County
(3,375) |
State
(135,501) |
County
(29,894) |
State
(1,105,392) |
| Age |
|
| Under 18 |
30.4% |
29.6% |
21.3% |
23.0% |
| 18-64 |
52.9% |
57.2% |
60.6% |
62.8% |
| 65 and over |
16.7% |
13.2% |
18.1% |
14.2% |
| Education Levels |
| |
County |
State |
| (Population age 25 and over) |
(24,094) |
(869,893) |
| Less that high school |
12.1% |
14.6% |
| High school |
35.1% |
36.2% |
| Some college, no degree |
19.6% |
19.0% |
| Associate degree |
6.6% |
7.4% |
| Bachelor's or higher |
26.6% |
22.9% |
| Household
Poverty Status, by Household Type (as percent of all
households) |
(Number households) |
County
(14,170)
|
State
(518,372) |
| Poverty Status |
Below |
Above |
Below |
Above |
| Family Households |
|
|
Married-couple |
2.2% |
54.1% |
2.1% |
51.3% |
| Female
householder, no spouse |
1.6% |
6.0% |
2.6% |
6.6% |
| Male
householder, no spouse |
0.7% |
3.1% |
0.5% |
3.0% |
| Other Households |
|
| Single
person, under age 65 |
2.4% |
11.8% |
3.0% |
13.1% |
| Single
person, age 65 or over |
2.1% |
10.2% |
2.1% |
8.7% |
| Other
non-family |
1.2% |
4.8% |
1.2% |
5.8% |
| Total households |
10.2% |
90.0% |
11.5% |
88.5% |
Income and Employment
Employment figures for Lincoln County are better than the state
average, but there is a somewhat higher proportion of "working
poor."
- The average unemployment rate as reported by the Department of
Labor for 2002 was 3.0% compared with the state average of 4.4%.
This was one of the lowest unemployment rates of any county.
- A higher proportion of households (both below and above poverty)
in Lincoln County reported that no one in the household worked in
the past year (Census 2000). This is probably related to the
presence of higher-income retirees, many from out of state.
| Income |
| |
County |
State |
| Median Household Income |
$38,686 |
$37,240 |
| Per-capita Income |
$20,760 |
$19,533 |
| (Number households) |
(14,170) |
(518,372) |
| Household Income, by ranges |
| Under $20,000 |
22.1% |
25.0% |
| $20,000 - $29,999 |
16.3% |
14.9% |
| $30,000 and above |
61.6% |
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 |
24.7% |
39.0% |
36.3% |
62.3% |
21.5% |
16.2% |
| Other Households |
4.7% |
30.8% |
64.6% |
41.6% |
26.3% |
32.2% |
| Unemployment Rate (2002 monthly
average) |
|
County |
State |
| Labor force |
17,980 |
686,200 |
| Percent unemployed |
3.0% |
4.4% |
Housing and Transportation
Housing and transportation
- Housing is less affordable than in the state as a whole,
particularly for households with incomes under $20,000.
- Lincoln County has a considerably lower proportion of renters than
the statewide average. For lower-income households, particularly in
the higher-priced, higher-taxed coastal towns, home ownership is
becoming difficult and there is a shortage of affordable rentals.
- A higher proportion of Lincoln County households reports having
access to a vehicle.
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 |
75.9% |
82.4% |
79.2% |
68.6% |
75.5% |
70.7% |
| $10,000 - $19,999 |
66.7% |
45.6% |
53.2% |
52.1% |
39.6% |
46.4% |
| $20,000 - $34,999 |
8.3% |
22.3% |
18.6% |
12.9% |
23.6% |
19.1% |
| Households
Lacking Access to Vehicle |
| |
County |
State |
(Number) |
Renters
(2,399) |
Owners
(11,759) |
All Households
(14,158) |
Renters
(147,280) |
Owners
(370,920) |
All Households
(518,200) |
|
%
|
12.5% |
4.4% |
5.8% |
18.5% |
3.3% |
7.6% |
Benefits and Assistance
Lincoln County residents were considerably below the state average in
participation in DHS benefits programs (TANF and food stamps), and
slightly below in participation in LIHEAP in the last fiscal year
(October 1, 2001- September 30, 2002).
- Lincoln was among the four lowest counties in the proportion of
the population receiving TANF or food stamps.
- The proportion of Lincoln County's overall population receiving
LIHEAP was close to the state average, but the proportion of older
people receiving LIHEAP (9.9%) was considerably lower than in the
state as a whole (13.2%)possibly because of higher-income retirees.
| TANF/Food Stamps
and LIHEAP Benefits* |
| |
County |
State |
TANF &/or Food Stamps
(monthly avg. unduplicated count) |
Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
| Cases |
985 |
7.0% |
55,445 |
10.7% |
| Recipients |
2,075 |
6.2% |
108,767 |
8.5% |
| LIHEAP |
|
| Households |
1,151 |
8.1% |
46,994 |
9.1% |
| Recipients |
2,450 |
7.3% |
98,825 |
7.8% |
| Hslds age 65 and over |
416 |
9.9% |
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) |
(1,151) |
(46,994) |
| Average household income |
$11,176 |
$11,209 |
| % Single person households |
45.6% |
45.5% |
| % Receiving food stamps |
47.9% |
49.7% |
| % Medicaid |
56.2% |
57.5% |
| % SSI |
22.8% |
22.9% |
| % SS/SSD |
51.7% |
52.8% |
| % With wages or self-employment |
7.1% |
8.6% |
| % LIHEAP applicants age 65 and over |
36.1% |
36.0% |
| *Percentage is % of
LIHEAP households |
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