Map of Maine Counties and Baxter Park Click to enlarge
Oxford County is the seventh largest in population of the sixteen counties, located in western Maine along the New Hampshire border to the east and the Province of Quebec border to the north. The northern parts of York and Cumberland counties were separated to form Oxford County on March 5, 1805. As with many counties, towns and borders changed throughout the early 19th century. See an 1858 map of the county in the Map Cabinet.
The county currently consists of 35 towns: Andover, Bethel, Brownfield, Buckfield, Byron, Canton, Denmark, Dixfield, Fryeburg, Gilead, Greenwood, Hanover, Hartford, Hebron, Hiram, Lovell, Mexico, Newry, Norway, Otisfield, Oxford, Paris, Peru, Porter, Roxbury, Rumford, Stoneham, Stow, Sumner, Sweden, Upton, Waterford, West Paris, Woodstock, and the plantations of Lincoln and Magalloway.
Oxford County Courthouse (See Paris)
The town of Paris is the County Seat, hosting the county government, courthouse, and the county jail. The County is home to the White Mountain National Forest, a substantial portion of the Appalachian Trail section in Maine, and two major lakes: Richardson and Mooselookmeguntic.
In 2010, Oxford County’s population represented 4.4% of the state’s total, with a census count of 57,833, a 5.6% increase over 2000.
| People QuickFacts | Oxford County | Maine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population, 2009 estimate | 56,244 | 1,318,301 | |
| Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009 | 2.7% | 3.4% | |
| Population estimates base (April 1) 2000 | 54,757 | 1,274,915 | |
| Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2009 | 5.3% | 5.4% | |
| Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2009 | 21.2% | 20.6% | |
| Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2009 | 16.2% | 15.6% | |
| Female persons, percent, 2009 | 51.2% | 51.2% | |
| White persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 97.7% | 96.1% | |
| Black persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 0.4% | 1.2% | |
| American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 0.4% | 0.6% | |
| Asian persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 0.5% | 1.0% | |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2009 (a) | Z | Z | |
| Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2009 | 1.0% | 1.1% | |
| Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2009 (b) | 1.0% | 1.4% | |
| White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2009 | 96.8% | 94.9% | |
| Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over | 65.1% | 59.6% | |
| Foreign born persons, percent, 2000 | 1.8% | 2.9% | |
| Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000 | 4.5% | 7.8% | |
| High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000 | 82.4% | 85.4% | |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000 | 15.7% | 22.9% | |
| Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000 | 11,158 | 237,910 | |
| Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000 | 25.9 | 22.7 | |
| Housing units, 2009 | 35,040 | 704,578 | |
| Homeownership rate, 2000 | 77.0% | 71.6% | |
| Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000 | 14.5% | 20.3% | |
| Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000 | $82,800 | $98,700 | |
| Households, 2000 | 22,314 | 518,200 | |
| Persons per household, 2000 | 2.42 | 2.39 | |
| Median household income, 2008 | $41,526 | $46,419 | |
| Per capita money income, 1999 | $16,945 | $19,533 | |
| Persons below poverty level, percent, 2008 | 14.1% | 12.6% | |
| Business QuickFacts | Oxford County | Maine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private nonfarm establishments, 2008 | 1,397 | 41,7551 | |
| Private nonfarm employment, 2008 | 14,783 | 509,0931 | |
| Private nonfarm employment, percent change 2000-2008 | -7.2% | 3.5%1 | |
| Nonemployer establishments, 2008 | 4,423 | 113,522 | |
| Total number of firms, 2002 | 5,502 | 135,410 | |
| Black-owned firms, percent, 2002 | F | 0.2% | |
| American Indian and Alaska Native owned firms, percent, 2002 | F | 0.5% | |
| Asian-owned firms, percent, 2002 | F | 0.6% | |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander owned firms, percent, 2002 | F | S | |
| Hispanic-owned firms, percent, 2002 | F | 0.5% | |
| Women-owned firms, percent, 2002 | 23.7% | 24.0% | |
| Manufacturers shipments, 2002 ($1000) | 1,009,769 | 13,851,915 | |
| Wholesale trade sales, 2002 ($1000) | 208,012 | 10,371,084 | |
| Retail sales, 2002 ($1000) | 403,483 | 16,053,515 | |
| Retail sales per capita, 2002 | $7,225 | $12,370 | |
| Accommodation and foodservices sales, 2002 ($1000) | 105,212 | 2,045,841 | |
| Building permits, 2009 | 175 | 3,1211 | |
| Federal spending, 2008 | 399,580 | 11,974,3611 | |
| Geography QuickFacts | Oxford County | Maine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land area, 2000 (square miles) | 2,078.00 | 30,861.55 | |
| Persons per square mile, 2000 | 26.3 | 41.3 | |
| FIPS Code | 017 | 23 | |
| Metropolitan or Micropolitan Statistical Area | None |
(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.D: Suppressed to avoid disclosure of confidential information
F: Fewer than 100 firms
FN: Footnote on this item for this area in place of data
NA: Not available
S: Suppressed; does not meet publication standards
X: Not applicable
Z: Value greater than zero but less than half unit of measure shown