is the least populous of the sixteen counties, located in north central Maine. Formed on April 38, 1838 from portions of Somerset and Penobscot counties. Initially it had twenty-two towns, two more were incorporated later, Dover and Foxcroft combined, and seven towns surrendered their organization, becoming townships. The well-known Baxter State Park is located on the eastern edge of the county.
The county currently consists of the towns of Abbot, Atkinson, Beaver Cove, Bowerbank, Brownville, Dover-Foxcroft, Greenville, Guilford, Medford, Milo, Monson, Parkman, Sangerville, Sebec, Shirley, Wellington, Willimantic; the plantations of Kingsbury and Lake View; and townships including Blanchard, Elliotsville, Orneville, Atkinson, among others. See an 1853 map of the county in the Map Cabinet.
The Dover-Foxcroft is the County Seat, hosting the county government, courthouse, and the county jail. In 2010, Piscataquis County’s population represented 1.3% of the state’s total, with a census count of 17,535 a 1.7% increase over 2000.
People QuickFacts (updated November 4, 2010) |
Piscataquis County | Maine |
---|---|---|
Population, 2009 estimate | 16,795 | 1,318,301 |
Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009 | -2.6% | 3.4% |
Population estimates base (April 1) 2000 | 17,237 | 1,274,915 |
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2009 | 5.0% | 5.4% |
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2009 | 19.8% | 20.6% |
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2009 | 18.5% | 15.6% |
Female persons, percent, 2009 | 50.7% | 51.2% |
White persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 97.8% | 96.1% |
Black persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 0.3% | 1.2% |
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 0.6% | 0.6% |
Asian persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 0.3% | 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) | 0.8% | 1.4% |
White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2009 | 97.0% | 94.9% |
Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over | 67.1% | 59.6% |
Foreign born persons, percent, 2000 | 1.9% | 2.9% |
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000 | 3.4% | 7.8% |
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000 | 80.3% | 85.4% |
Bachelor’s degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000 | 13.3% | 22.9% |
Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000 | 4,271 | 237,910 |
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000 | 22.1 | 22.7 |
Housing units, 2009 | 14,347 | 704,578 |
Homeownership rate, 2000 | 79.5% | 71.6% |
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000 | 8.3% | 20.3% |
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000 | $62,300 | $98,700 |
Households, 2000 | 7,278 | 518,200 |
Persons per household, 2000 | 2.34 | 2.39 |
Median household income, 2008 | $35,144 | $46,419 |
Per capita money income, 1999 | $14,374 | $19,533 |
Persons below poverty level, percent, 2008 | 16.2% | 12.6% |
Business QuickFacts | Piscataquis County | Maine |
---|---|---|
Private nonfarm establishments, 2008 | 447 | 41,7551 |
Private nonfarm employment, 2008 | 4,196 | 509,0931 |
Private nonfarm employment, percent change 2000-2008 | -19.0% | 3.5%1 |
Nonemployer establishments, 2008 | 1,411 | 113,522 |
Total number of firms, 2002 | 1,817 | 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 | 18.2% | 24.0% |
Manufacturers shipments, 2002 ($1000) | 173,676 | 13,851,915 |
Wholesale trade sales, 2002 ($1000) | D | 10,371,084 |
Retail sales, 2002 ($1000) | 150,994 | 16,053,515 |
Retail sales per capita, 2002 | $8,748 | $12,370 |
Accommodation and foodservices sales, 2002 ($1000) | 11,123 | 2,045,841 |
Building permits, 2009 | 27 | 3,1211 |
Federal spending, 2008 | 152,987 | 11,974,3611 |
Geography QuickFacts | Piscataquis County | Maine |
---|---|---|
Land area, 2000 (square miles) | 3,966.22 | 30,861.55 |
Persons per square mile, 2000 | 4.3 | 41.3 |
FIPS Code | 021 | 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
Atkinson is no longer a town.