Median Value of Housing Units

Map: Median Value of Housing Units 1990

The value of housing tells a lot about income and the competition for housing in a particular area. For nearly three decades the coastal counties (except for Washington) have registered higher housing values, while the northern counties and Washington County have had the lowest. During the 2005-2009 period, the distribuion has generally held to the…

Death, Causes of

Chart: Causes of Death U.S. 2005

In 2005 twelve causes accounted for 80% of all deaths in the United States; thirteen accounted for 80% of all deaths in Maine. In both, heart disease and cancer alone caused nearly half of all deaths; stroke, lower respiratory diseases (such as bronchitis, emphysema, asthma), and accidents accounted for another 16 percent. In 1999, comparable…

Native Americans by County, Percent

Map: Native Americans by County 2010

In 2010 the three counties in which Indian reservations exist had the largest proportion of Native American residents.  Washington leads with 4.5 percent of the county’s population.  Aroostook (1.5%) and Penobscot (.9%) follow.  The Native American population statewide is 0.6%. County Percent Washington 4.5% Aroostook 1.5% Penobscot 0.9% Piscataquis 0.6% Kennebec 0.5% Somerset 0.5% Androscoggin…

SAT Scores

Maine v National SAT Performance 1980-2013

Maine’s math scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, administered by the College Board in Princeton, New Jersey, have consistently and substantially lagged the national average scores for over two decades. See also SAT Score for College Bound.  During the 1980’s Maine’s verbal scores exceeded the national averages, but since 1990 they have generally been somewhat…

Housing

Chart Home Ownership Maine and US

Maine home ownership in 2010 was 73.8%, compared with 66.9% for the U.S. as a whole. It had dropped from 75.3% in 2006, just before the recession in the housing market. In 2000, the U.S. rate was 76.5 and Maine’s was 67.4.  From 1984 throught 2010, Maine’s peak rate of home ownership was 77.4% in…

Agricultural Subsidies

Farm in Sabattus

The federal government provides a “safety net” to agricultural producers to help them through the variations in agricultural production and profitability from year to year – due to variations in weather, market prices, and other factors – while ensuring a stable food supply. However, this support is mostly for five major “program” commodities of corn,…

Crimes, Index

Murders 1980-2013

As the graphs below indicate, both violent and non-violent crime have been decreasing in frequency since 1980, with a slight increase since 2005. The number of crimes in 2013, compared to the 1980 figures, declined 22% for violent offenses and 36% for property offenses. See also Crime, Weapons. The Maine Department of Public Safety summarizes…

Employment by Industry

Change in Employment Sectors 1990-2010

In 1990 Trade (17.5%) and Manufacturing (17.4%) constituted the largest employment sectors in the Maine economy. By 2010, Manufacturing had faded to 8.6%, and the top two employment sectors were Trade (17%) and Education and Health Services (20.2%).  During the two decades, Manufacturing (No. 3 on the chart) had lost over 45% of its employees,…

Labor Force

Chart of Maine Labor Force

The labor force is defined as the total of people employed and those who are unemployed and seeking employment. While growing in the long term, Maine’s total labor force actually contracts from time to time as people stop seeking employment. The recent rate of increase may be slowing as the population ages and in-migration of…

Economic Data

Gross Domestic Product by County County by Rank $Billions GDP $Billions % of Total $ GDP People % Total People GDP /Capita Rank /Capita Rank/ Capita Per Capita GDP 1 Cumberland $19.40 34.04% 293,557 21.93% $88.45 Cumberland 1 $88.45 2 York $7.40 12.98% 206,229 15.41% $48.03 Hancock 2 $54.82 3 Penobscot $6.00 10.53% 151,096 11.29%…

Personal Income

Personal Income Per Capita

Maine’s personal income per person (per capita) has lagged the national average by varying amounts since 1929.   The state’s percent of the national average (green line on the chart) has not strayed far from the long-term average of 86% durng the period. In the early 1930’s it exceeded 90% probably because the agricultural sector…

Median Family Income

Median Family Income

The median income for families is that amount above which half the families have more and below which half the families have less income. It is “in the middle.” According to the U.S. Census: Family. A family is a group of two people or more (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage,…

Median Household Income

Household Income 1984-2009

The median income for a group is that amount above which half the group has more and below which half the group has less. It is “in the middle.” According to the U.S. Census: Family. A family is a group of two people or more (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage,…

Unemployment

Unemployment Statistics 1969-2011

Average annual unemployment in Maine’s economy was consistently higher than the national average from 1969 through 1980. For the next decade, 1981 through 1990, the opposite was true! Since then, Maine’s annual unemployment rate has generally tracked the national rate, though usually a bit higher than the New England rate. Over the four decades, 1969-2010,…

Democratic Party Platform 1976

Cover Page of Published 1976 Platform

1976 PLATFORM – DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF MAINE Originally published in April, the Platform was updated with “Errata Sheets” dated 8/16/76. Changes from these updates are noted in the text below, with underlines indicating inserts and strikethroughs indicating deletes. The following is from the “General” section of the “Errata Sheets”: A. Chairperson should be read throughout…