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Poverty in Maine -
2003
County Profiles: Penobscot County
People
Penobscot County's people are poorer and somewhat younger than the
state average. However, income and poverty rates are skewed somewhat by
the presence of the large student population at the University of Maine.
As reported in Census 2000:
- Per-capita income is 8.9% below the state average, and median
household income is 8% below the state's median income.
- The household poverty rate is higher than in the state as a whole.
Compared with the statewide totals, a slightly higher proportion of
below-poverty households consists either of households headed by
women with no spouse or of persons under age 65 living alone.
- Working age (18-64) people represent a higher proportion of those
under poverty compared with the state as a whole. The higher
proportion of 18-64 year olds below poverty may be related to the
presence of the student population.
- A slightly smaller proportion of the Penobscot population has
Bachelor's degrees than in the state as a whole, though a higher
proportion has high school degrees.
| Population
Poverty Status, by Age |
| |
Below Poverty |
Above Poverty |
(Number) |
County
(18,956) |
State
(135,501) |
County
(119,649) |
State
(1,105,392) |
| Age |
|
| Under 18 |
27.1% |
29.6% |
22.4% |
23.0% |
| 18-64 |
62.4% |
57.2% |
64.2% |
62.8% |
| 65 and over |
10.5% |
13.2% |
13.4% |
14.2% |
| Education Levels |
| |
County |
State |
| (Population age 25 and over) |
(95,505) |
(869,893) |
| Less that high school |
14.3% |
14.6% |
| High school |
38.4% |
36.2% |
| Some college, no degree |
19.2% |
19.0% |
| Associate degree |
7.8% |
7.4% |
| Bachelor's or higher |
20.3% |
22.9% |
| Household
Poverty Status, by Household Type (as percent of all
households) |
(Number households) |
County
(58,135)
|
State
(518,372) |
| Poverty Status |
Below |
Above |
Below |
Above |
| Family Households |
|
|
Married-couple |
2.5% |
50.2% |
2.1% |
51.3% |
| Female
householder, no spouse |
3.3% |
6.0% |
2.6% |
6.6% |
| Male
householder, no spouse |
0.6% |
3.1% |
0.5% |
3.0% |
| Other Households |
|
| Single
person, under age 65 |
3.8% |
12.8% |
3.0% |
13.1% |
| Single
person, age 65 or over |
2.2% |
7.9% |
2.1% |
8.7% |
| Other
non-family |
1.2% |
5.7% |
1.2% |
5.8% |
| Total households |
13.6% |
85.7% |
11.5% |
88.5% |
Income and Employment
Employment figures for the county are close to the state averages.
- The average unemployment rate as reported by the Maine Department
of Labor for 2002 was 4.5% in Penobscot County, about the same as
the state average.
- Compared with the state as a whole, a somewhat higher proportion
of Penobscot County households below poverty (Census 2000) reported
that no one in the household worked in the past year. This, also,
may be related to the presence of the student population.
| Income |
| |
County |
State |
| Median Household Income |
$34,274 |
$37,240 |
| Per-capita Income |
$17,801 |
$19,533 |
| (Number households) |
(58,135) |
(518,372) |
| Household Income, by ranges |
| Under $20,000 |
28.6% |
25.0% |
| $20,000 - $29,999 |
15.3% |
14.9% |
| $30,000 and above |
56.2% |
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 |
10.5% |
42.0% |
47.5% |
67.8% |
17.7% |
14.6% |
| Other Households |
1.9% |
41.6% |
56.5% |
48.3% |
25.3% |
26.4% |
| Unemployment Rate (2002 monthly
average) |
|
County |
State |
| Labor force |
80,180 |
686,200 |
| Percent unemployed |
4.5% |
4.4% |
Housing and Transportation
Housing affordability in Penobscot is about the same as the state
average; as in the rest of the state, a large proportion of the poorest
households (those with incomes below $10,000) report spending 35% or
more of their monthly income for housing.
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 |
70.2% |
74.4% |
71.2% |
68.6% |
75.5% |
70.7% |
| $10,000 - $19,999 |
53.7% |
37.9% |
47.0% |
52.1% |
39.6% |
46.4% |
| $20,000 - $34,999 |
8.9% |
18.4% |
14.1% |
12.9% |
23.6% |
19.1% |
| Households
Lacking Access to Vehicle |
| |
County |
State |
(Number) |
Renters
(17,554) |
Owners
(40,542) |
All Households
(58,096) |
Renters
(147,280) |
Owners
(370,920) |
All Households
(518,200) |
|
%
|
18.2% |
3.2% |
7.7% |
18.5% |
3.3% |
7.6% |
Benefits and Assistance
Penobscot County residents were somewhat above the state average in
participation in DHS benefits programs (TANF and food stamps), and in
participation in LIHEAP in the last fiscal year (October 1,
2001-September 30, 2002).
- Compared with LIHEAP households statewide, a larger proportion of
households in Penobscot County had food stamps or Medicaid.
- Older households (over age 65) represented a somewhat smaller
proportion of the total LIHEAP caseload in Penobscot (31%) than
statewide (36%).
| TANF/Food Stamps
and LIHEAP Benefits* |
| |
County |
State |
TANF &/or Food Stamps
(monthly avg. unduplicated count) |
Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
| Cases |
6,940 |
12.0% |
55,445 |
10.7% |
| Recipients |
13,648 |
9.4% |
108,767 |
8.5% |
| LIHEAP |
|
| Households |
5,804 |
10.0% |
46,994 |
9.1% |
| Recipients |
12,407 |
8.6% |
98,825 |
7.8% |
| Hslds age 65 and over |
1,792 |
13.3% |
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) |
(5,804) |
(46,994) |
| Average household income |
$10,977 |
$11,209 |
| % Single person households |
43.9% |
45.5% |
| % Receiving food stamps |
54.5% |
49.7% |
| % Medicaid |
63.7% |
57.5% |
| % SSI |
25.4% |
22.9% |
| % SS/SSD |
50.8% |
52.8% |
| % With wages or self-employment |
7.4% |
8.6% |
| % LIHEAP applicants age 65 and over |
30.9% |
36.0% |
| *Percentage is % of
LIHEAP households |
|
