Maine Counties

The state of Maine is divided up into 16 different counties, ranging from Aroostook county in the northern end of the state, to York county in the south. As these two imply, the county names are a mix of Native American and English words. While some of the counties predate Maine’s statehood in 1820 (prior to that Maine was a district of Massachusetts), all of them were created by 1860 and none have been formed since.

Click on any of the county names below to find out more about each one:

• Androscoggin
• Aroostook
• Cumberland
• Franklin
• Hancock
• Kennebec
• Knox
• Lincoln
• Oxford
• Penobscot
• Piscataquis
• Sagadahoc
• Somerset
• Waldo
• Washington
• York

Androscoggin

Established in 1854, Androscoggin County takes its name from a Native American Abenaki tribe.

Total Area: 497 sq miles
Land Area: 468 sq miles
Water Area: 29 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 60
County Seat: Auburn
Largest City: Lewiston
2020 Census Population: 111,139
Number Of Households: 45,630
Median Household Income: $53,509
Median Home Value: $158,200
County Website: www.androscoggincountymaine.gov

Aroostook

Aroostook County was founded in 1839, and is named from a Mi’kmaq word meaning “beautiful river”.

Total Area: 6,828 sq miles
Land Area: 6,671 sq miles
Water Area: 156 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 392
County Seat: Houlton
Largest City: Presque Isle
2020 Census Population: 67,105
Number Of Households: 29,516
Median Household Income: $41,123
Median Home Value: $99,600
County Website: www.aroostook.me.us

Cumberland

Cumberland County was established in 1760. It was named for Prince William, the Duke of Cumberland.

Total Area: 1,217 sq miles
Land Area: 835 sq miles
Water Area: 382 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 95
County Seat: Portland
Largest City: Portland
2020 Census Population: 303,069
Number Of Households: 120,644
Median Household Income: $73,072
Median Home Value: $278,100
County Website: www.cumberlandcounty.org

Franklin

Founded in 1838, Franklin County was named after Benjamin Franklin.

Total Area: 1,744 sq miles
Land Area: 1,697 sq miles
Water Area: 47 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 201
County Seat: Farmington
Largest City: Farmington
2020 Census Population: 29,456
Number Of Households: 11,848
Median Household Income: $51,422
Median Home Value: $139,800
County Website:

Hancock

Hancock County was founded in 1790, and was named for noted Declaration of Independence signatory John Hancock.

Total Area: 2,345 sq miles
Land Area: 1,587 sq miles
Water Area: 758 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 274
County Seat: Ellsworth
Largest City: Ellsworth
2020 Census Population: 55,478
Number Of Households: 23,661
Median Household Income: $57,178
Median Home Value: $212,700
County Website: hancockcountymaine.gov

Kennebec

Established in 1799, Kennebec County took its name from the Kennebec River which flows through it.

Total Area: 951 sq miles
Land Area: 868 sq miles
Water Area: 84 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 139
County Seat: Augusta
Largest City: Augusta
2020 Census Population: 123,642
Number Of Households: 52,105
Median Household Income: $55,365
Median Home Value: $159,400
County Website: www.kennebeccounty.org

Knox

Knox County was established in the year 1860. It was named after Henry Knox, who served as the first United States Secretary of War, and who also lived in Thomaston, Maine.

Total Area: 1,142 sq miles
Land Area: 365 sq miles
Water Area: 779 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 57
County Seat: Rockland
Largest City: Rockland
2020 Census Population: 40,607
Number Of Households: 17,020
Median Household Income: $57,751
Median Home Value: $213,400
County Website: www.knoxcountymaine.gov

Lincoln

Lincoln County was founded 1760, and was named after the city of Lincoln, England.

Total Area: 700 sq miles
Land Area: 456 sq miles
Water Area: 244 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 54
County Seat: Wiscasset
Largest City: Waldoboro
2020 Census Population: 35,237
Number Of Households: 15,336
Median Household Income: $57,720
Median Home Value: $215,400
County Website: www.lincolncountymaine.me

Oxford

Oxford County was founded in the year 1805. The origins of its name are a little unclear, but it was likely named after Oxford, Massachusetts.

Total Area: 2,175 sq miles
Land Area: 2,077 sq miles
Water Area: 99 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 243
County Seat: Paris
Largest City: Rumford
2020 Census Population: 57,777
Number Of Households: 21,338
Median Household Income: $49,204
Median Home Value: $144,100
County Website: www.oxfordcounty.org

Penobscot

Penobscot County was founded in 1816, and named after the Penobscot Native American tribe.

Total Area: 3,557 sq miles
Land Area: 3,397 sq miles
Water Area: 160 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 271
County Seat: Bangor
Largest City: Bangor
2020 Census Population: 152,199
Number Of Households: 62,156
Median Household Income: $50,808
Median Home Value: $144,700
County Website: www.penobscot-county.net

Piscataquis

Founded in year 1838, Piscataquis County takes its name from an Abenaki word that means “rapid waters”.

Total Area: 4,377 sq miles
Land Area: 3,961 sq miles
Water Area: 417 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 672
County Seat: Dover-Foxcroft
Largest City: Dover-Foxcroft
2020 Census Population: 16,800
Number Of Households: 7,025
Median Household Income: $40,890
Median Home Value: $109,500
County Website: www.piscataquis.us

Sagadahoc

Sagadahoc County was established in 1854, and gets its name from an Abenaki word meaning “mouth of big river”.

Total Area: 370 sq miles
Land Area: 254 sq miles
Water Area: 116 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 29
County Seat: Bath
Largest City: Bath
2020 Census Population: 36,699
Number Of Households: 15,980
Median Household Income: $63,694
Median Home Value: $213,400
County Website: www.sagadahoccountyme.gov

Somerset

Somerset County was founded in 1809. It was named after Somerset county in England.

Total Area: 4,094 sq miles
Land Area: 3,924 sq miles
Water Area: 169 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 428
County Seat: Skowhegan
Largest City: Skowhegan
2020 Census Population: 50,477
Number Of Households: 21,321
Median Household Income: $44,256
Median Home Value: $115,700
County Website: www.somersetcounty-me.org

Waldo

Waldo County was established in the year 1827. It was named after Samuel Waldo, a Maine landowner and colonial soldier who fought in the 1745 siege of Louisbourg in Canada during the French and Indian War.

Total Area: 853 sq miles
Land Area: 730 sq miles
Water Area: 123 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 80
County Seat: Belfast
Largest City: Belfast
2020 Census Population: 39,607
Number Of Households: 17,236
Median Household Income: $51,931
Median Home Value: $163,000
County Website: www.waldocountyme.gov

Washington

Washington County was founded in 1790, and named for the first president George Washington.

Total Area: 3,258 sq miles
Land Area: 2,563 sq miles
Water Area: 695 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 261
County Seat: Machais
Largest City: Calais
2020 Census Population: 31,095
Number Of Households: 13,791
Median Household Income: $41,347
Median Home Value: $112,400
County Website: www.washingtoncountymaine.com

York

Founded in 1652, York County is the oldest county in Maine. It was named after York, England, which was the birthplace of Christopher Levett who first tried to settle the region.

Total Area: 1,270 sq miles
Land Area: 991 sq miles
Water Area: 279 sq miles
Lakes & Ponds: 163
County Seat: Alfred
Largest City: Biddeford
2020 Census Population: 211,972
Number Of Households: 85,314
Median Household Income: $67,830
Median Home Value: $252,300
County Website: www.yorkcountymaine.gov

References:
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Maine