Counties in Maine by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)

Washington County had the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) of 16 counties in 2021, at 22.5%. Cumberland County had the lowest, at 8.7%. The median was 15.7% and the figure for Maine was 13.8%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest22.5Washington County

Lowest8.7Cumberland County

Median15.716 counties

Maine13.8History

Map of counties, 2021

Under 13
13 to 14
14 to 18
18 to 19
19 and over

%, 2021. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2021

%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Counties	2021 (%)	Change on 2020
1	Washington County	22.5	+4.8 pts
2	Piscataquis County	21.3	+0.1 pts
3	Oxford County	20.9	+4 pts
4	Somerset County	19.2	+0.7 pts
5	Androscoggin County	19.1	+3.5 pts
6	Aroostook County	18.9	+0.1 pts
7	Waldo County	18.2	+2.6 pts
8	Franklin County	15.7	-0.5 pts
8	Penobscot County	15.7	+2.6 pts
10	Hancock County	14.2	+1.3 pts
11	Knox County	13.5	-0.1 pts
12	Lincoln County	13.3	-0.5 pts
13	Kennebec County	12.8	-1 pts
14	Sagadahoc County	11.3	+0.4 pts
15	York County	9.9	+1 pts
16	Cumberland County	8.7	-0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People under 18 in families or living alone with income below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people under 18 whose poverty status can be determined. United States: Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) for the nation, states and counties.

A model-based single-year estimate; the national figure is the one-year American Community Survey estimate. The Census Bureau advises comparing years from 2006 on only. Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate. The rate for all ages is poverty_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties (Counties in Maine by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt

MLA 9

Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties, Counties in Maine by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/maine-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Counties in Maine by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/maine-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties, Counties in Maine by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/maine-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_counties_in_maine_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties: Counties in Maine by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/maine-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties: Counties in Maine by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/maine-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/maine-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2021/2021-state-and-county/est21all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Rank Counties in Maine by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) using official data, and cite the source.

rank_places {"indicator":"child_poverty_rate","level":"province","within":"Maine","limit":10}
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Questions

Which county has the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)?

Washington County, with 22.5% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)?

Cumberland County, with 8.7% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.