Maine Population Statistics 2026 | By Age, Race, Gender, Growth & Key Facts

Maine has an official population of 1,414,874 residents as of the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent estimate, ranking it the 42nd most populous state in the country. Maine now carries the oldest median age of any U.S. state at 44.8 years, and its growth in 2026 depends almost entirely on people moving in from other states rather than births.

Population of Maine 2026 – Introduction

Maine Population in 2026 sits at roughly 1.42 million, a record high for the state even though Maine remains one of the smallest states by population. Maine ranks 42nd nationally, well behind its New England neighbors Massachusetts and Connecticut, but the state has quietly strung together several years of steady, if modest, growth. What makes Maine’s numbers unusual is the engine behind them: this is not a state adding residents through births. Maine has recorded more deaths than births every year since 2011, and 2025 was no exception. Every bit of the state’s growth came from people moving in, both from other U.S. states and from abroad.

That migration-driven pattern shapes everything else in this report. Maine’s population skews older than any other state in the country, its racial makeup remains overwhelmingly white, and its growth is concentrated almost entirely in a handful of southern counties around Portland. Rural Maine, particularly the northern and eastern counties, continues to lose people even as the state’s total climbs. The sections below walk through exactly how age, gender, race, and migration combine to produce Maine’s 2026 population profile, county by county and city by city.

MAINE POPULATION 2026 — QUICK SNAPSHOT
Total Residents .............. 1,414,874
National Rank ................ #42 of 50
Median Age ................... 44.8 years (oldest in U.S.)
Annual Growth (latest yr) .... +6,436 (+0.46%)
Largest City ................. Portland
Total Counties ............... 16

Interesting Facts About Maine Population 2026

Maine Population growth is unlike almost any other state’s. Maine has posted a natural population decrease every year since 2011, meaning deaths have outnumbered births for well over a decade. Despite that, the state just recorded its highest population total on record, 1,414,874, because in-migration more than offset the natural decline. That single fact drives nearly every other number in this report, from the state’s aging median age to its reliance on newcomers for economic growth.

Maine also holds a distinction few states can claim: it has the oldest median age in the country, at 44.8 years, a title it has held for years running. Nearly 24% of Maine residents are 65 or older, well above the national share. That aging profile concentrates heavily in rural counties, while the state’s southern corridor around Portland skews younger and continues to draw the bulk of new residents. Roughly 40% of Maine’s population now lives in the Greater Portland metro area alone.

Maine Population 2026: Total Residents and Historical Growth Trend

MAINE POPULATION TREND (2021-2026)
2021 |#########################     1.38M
2022 |#########################     1.39M
2023 |##########################    1.40M
2024 |##########################    1.41M
2025 |###########################   1.41M
2026 |###########################   1.42M (est.)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025); Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED) economic data series

Maine Population growth has slowed every single year since the post-pandemic surge of 2021, when the state added roughly 14,500 residents in a single year, its largest annual gain in decades. Growth has cooled steadily since then, dropping to just over 6,400 new residents in both 2024 and 2025. The 2026 figure above is a forward estimate based on the current trendline, not a confirmed Census Bureau release, since official vintage-year totals typically post in December of the following year.

The pattern is consistent even as the pace slows: Maine has grown in 22 of the last 25 years, and the current streak has held despite a national slowdown in international migration. What changed in 2025 was the mix, not the direction. Domestic migration picked up the slack as international arrivals pulled back, keeping Maine’s growth rate roughly in line with 2024 even though the underlying sources shifted.

Maine Population by Age Group in 2026

MAINE POPULATION BY AGE GROUP 2026
Under 15    |#######                  15.0%
15-29 yrs   |########                 17.3%
30-64 yrs   |#######################  46.3%
65-84 yrs   |#########                19.0%
85 and up   |#                         2.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Maine’s age pyramid is thinner at the bottom than almost any other state’s. Just 15.0% of residents are under 15, one of the smallest shares of young children in the country, a direct consequence of the state’s long-running natural population decrease. The 30-64 working-age bracket still makes up the largest single group at 46.3%, but that share includes an unusually large tail of residents in their late 50s and early 60s who are approaching retirement rather than entering the workforce.

The senior brackets tell the real story. Combined, residents 65 and older make up close to 21.5% of Maine’s population, and the state has held the title of oldest median age in the country for years. Maine officials have flagged this directly: the shrinking pipeline of young residents means the state cannot grow through births alone, and the workforce gets older each year without a matching wave of younger arrivals to replace retiring workers.

Maine Population by Gender in 2026

MAINE POPULATION BY GENDER 2026
Female |#########################  51.0%
Male   |########################   49.0%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Women outnumber men in Maine by roughly 28,700 people, a gap that widens sharply with age. Among children and younger adults, the ratio sits close to even, with boys and young men slightly outnumbering girls and young women, consistent with typical birth-rate patterns nationwide. That balance flips hard in the older brackets: in several rural counties, women outlive men by nearly a decade on average, and by the 85-plus age group, women outnumber men by a wide margin statewide.

Maine’s older population skews the overall gender ratio more than in most states, precisely because the state has such a large share of residents over 65. In counties like Lincoln, where the median age tops 52 years, the female-to-male gap is especially pronounced. That pattern carries direct implications for elder care planning, since a growing share of Maine’s oldest residents will be women living alone, a group that draws more heavily on home health services, assisted living, and widow-focused housing support than any other demographic segment in the state.

Maine Population by Race and Ethnicity in 2026

MAINE POPULATION BY RACE & ETHNICITY 2026
White             |#############################    89.9%
Multiracial       |##                                4.2%
Hispanic/Latino   |#                                 2.2%
Black             |#                                 1.8%
Asian             |                                  1.1%
Native Am./Other  |                                  0.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Maine remains the least racially diverse state in New England and among the least diverse in the country, with White residents making up 89.9% of the population. That share has barely moved since the 2020 Census, and Maine’s overall diversity index, the probability that two randomly chosen residents belong to different racial or ethnic groups, sits at just under 19%, far below the national figure. Still, the numbers are shifting at the margins: Maine’s Hispanic population has grown by nearly 14% since 2020, even though it remains the smallest Hispanic share of any state in the country.

The state’s small but growing minority populations are concentrated almost entirely in and around Portland and the state’s larger cities. Multiracial residents now outnumber every other minority category at 4.2% of the population, a share that has climbed steadily as younger Mainers increasingly identify with more than one racial background. Black and Asian residents each remain under 2% of the total population, but both groups have grown faster in percentage terms than Maine’s white population over the past five years, driven mainly by new arrivals settling in Cumberland and York counties rather than natural increase.

Maine Population Growth Components 2026: Births, Deaths and Migration

MAINE POPULATION CHANGE BY COMPONENT (2024-2025)
Domestic Migration   |##############  +7,406
Int'l Migration      |########        +4,040
Natural Change       |##########      -5,019
Net Total Change     |############    +6,436

Source: Maine Office of the State Economist, “Maine’s Economic Year in Review: 2025”; U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program

Break Maine’s growth into its three moving parts and a clear picture emerges. Deaths outnumbered births by 5,019 in the most recent year, continuing a natural decline that has held every year since 2011. Domestic migration did the heavy lifting instead, adding 7,406 more residents than left for other states, while international migration contributed another 4,040. For a broader look at how migration is reshaping population totals across every U.S. state, not just Maine, the Net Migration Statistics in US report breaks down the national picture behind these same trends.

What stands out is the shift in mix between 2024 and 2025. International migration made up 56% of Maine’s net migration in 2024 but fell to just 35% in 2025, mirroring a nationwide pullback tied to federal immigration policy changes. Domestic migration filled the gap, and every one of Maine’s 16 counties posted positive net migration in the most recent year, even as every county simultaneously recorded more deaths than births. That means Maine’s county-level population changes now depend entirely on how many people move in, since natural population change is negative everywhere in the state without exception.

Largest Cities in Maine by Population 2026

LARGEST MAINE CITIES BY POPULATION 2026
Portland       |##############################  68.5K
Lewiston       |################                37.9K
Bangor         |##############                  31.7K
South Portland |###########                     26.8K
Auburn         |##########                      24.3K

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; City and Town Population Totals

Portland is nearly twice the size of Lewiston, the state’s second-largest city, and remains the undisputed population center of Maine even though its total of 68,505 would rank as a mid-sized suburb almost anywhere else in the country. That gap illustrates just how small Maine’s urban centers really are on a national scale; for context on how U.S. cities compare across the size spectrum, the Smallest Cities in the US report shows just how many American municipalities never reach even a few thousand residents, a pattern that shows up across most of Maine outside its handful of larger cities and towns.

Southern Maine dominates the growth numbers. Six of the state’s ten largest cities and towns sit within Cumberland, York, or Androscoggin counties, and in the most recent reporting year, the Greater Portland suburbs of Westbrook, Windham, and Scarborough each added more residents than Portland itself did. Sanford climbed into the eighth spot statewide in 2024, overtaking Biddeford, while Westbrook moved up to tenth. The broader trend is unmistakable: growth in Maine concentrates almost entirely in the southern third of the state, while many of its northern and eastern cities and towns continue to shrink year over year.

Maine Population by County in 2026

LARGEST MAINE COUNTIES BY POPULATION 2026
Cumberland   |##############################  317K
York         |#####################           222K
Penobscot    |###############                 158K
Kennebec     |############                    129K
Androscoggin |###########                     116K

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Population Totals; Maine Office of the State Economist

Cumberland County alone now accounts for close to 22% of Maine’s entire population, and together with neighboring York County, the two southern counties hold nearly 38% of everyone living in the state. Cumberland posted the fastest county-level growth rate in Maine in the most recent year, at 0.81%, and the county pulls in more international migrants than any other part of the state, with roughly 71% of Cumberland’s net migration coming from abroad. That stands in sharp contrast to counties like Waldo and Oxford, where net international migration was slightly negative even as domestic arrivals kept overall totals positive.

The racial and demographic makeup of the state shifts noticeably by county too, and national patterns in how race and ethnicity are distributed across the U.S. offer useful context here; the US Population by Race report lays out how these demographic shifts are playing out nationwide, a trend that mirrors what’s happening in Maine’s more diverse southern counties. Aroostook County, Maine’s largest by land area but one of its smallest by population, had the weakest net migration rate in the state at just 2.8 per thousand residents, compared to a statewide average of 8.1 per thousand. That gap between the booming south and the shrinking north is the clearest divide in Maine’s entire population picture.

Frequently Asked Questions About Maine Population 2026

What is the population of Maine in 2026?

Maine has an official population of 1,414,874 residents based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent estimate, with the 2026 figure trending toward roughly 1.42 million as the year progresses.

Is Maine’s population growing or shrinking in 2026?

Maine’s population is growing, but only because of migration. The state added 6,436 residents in the most recent 12-month period, even though deaths outnumbered births by 5,019 during the same period.

What is the median age in Maine in 2026?

Maine has the oldest median age of any U.S. state at 44.8 years, well above the national median of roughly 38.9 years.

What race makes up the majority of Maine’s population?

White residents make up the overwhelming majority of Maine’s population at 89.9%, making it one of the least racially diverse states in the country.

How many people live in Portland, Maine, in 2026?

Portland’s population stands at 68,505, making it by far the largest city in Maine and nearly double the size of Lewiston, the state’s second-largest city.

What is the most populated county in Maine in 2026?

Cumberland County is the most populated county in Maine, with 317,222 residents, representing about 22.4% of the state’s total population.

Is Maine the 42nd most populous U.S. state?

Yes. Maine ranks #42 among all fifty states, a position that has held steady even as the state’s total population has slowly climbed to a record high.

Why is Maine’s population growing if deaths outnumber births?

Maine has recorded more deaths than births every year since 2011, but migration more than makes up the difference. In the most recent year, domestic migration added 7,406 residents and international migration added 4,040, offsetting the natural decrease of 5,019.

What percentage of Maine is Hispanic in 2026?

Hispanic or Latino residents make up just 2.2% of Maine’s population, the smallest Hispanic population share of any U.S. state, though it has grown nearly 14% since the 2020 Census.

How many counties in Maine are losing population?

Every one of Maine’s 16 counties recorded a natural population decrease in the most recent year, with more deaths than births statewide, though all 16 still posted overall population gains thanks to positive net migration.

What is Maine’s population density in 2026?

Maine has a population density of roughly 43.1 people per square mile, making it one of the least densely populated states along the entire Eastern Seaboard.

Will Maine’s population keep growing in the coming years?

Maine’s growth is expected to remain slow and fully dependent on migration, since the state’s natural population change has been negative every year since 2011 and shows no sign of reversing given its aging demographic profile.

Disclaimer: This research report is compiled from publicly available sources. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the completeness or reliability of the information. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, losses, or damages of any kind arising from the use of this report.

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