Map of Maine Counties and Baxter Park
Washington is the fourteenth most populous of the sixteen counties, located on the eastern most coast of Maine. It was formed on May 1, 1790 comprising all land west from the St. Croix River to the then eastern boundary of Hancock County. Only one town, Machias, existed within its boundaries. The county lost half its territory with the formation of Aroostook County in 1838.
See an 1861 map of the county in the Map Cabinet.
Currently Washington County consists of the cities of Calais and Eastport ; the towns of Addison, Alexander, Baileyville, Beals, Beddington, Charlotte, Cherryfield, Columbia, Columbia Falls, Cooper, Crawford, Cutler, Danforth, Deblois, Dennysville, East Machias, Harrington, Jonesboro, Jonesport, Lubec, Machias, Machiasport, Marshfield, Meddybemps, Milbridge, Northfield, Pembroke, Perry, Princeton, Robbinston, Roque Bluffs, Steuben, Talmadge, Topsfield, Vanceboro, Waite, Wesley, Whiting, Whitneyville; the plantations of Baring, Codyville, and Grand Lake Stream; the townships of Brookton, Centerville, Edmunds, and Wesley; and two Indian Reservations: Pleasant Point and Indian Township.
The county, which harbors many coastal islands, contains a deep-water port at Eastport, the eastern most city in the United States. Its eastern boundary with the Province of New Brunswick is defined by the St. Croix River.
County Courthouse (2004)
Sheriff’s Department in Machias (2004)
Machias is the County Seat, hosting the county government, courthouse, and the county jail.
In 2010, Washington County’s population represented 2.5% of the state’s total, with a census count of 32,856 a 3.2% decrease from 2000.
| People QuickFacts (updated November 4, 2010) |
Washington County | Maine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population, 2009 estimate | 32,107 | 1,318,301 | |
| Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009 | -5.4% | 3.4% | |
| Population estimates base (April 1) 2000 | 33,935 | 1,274,915 | |
| Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2009 | 5.4% | 5.4% | |
| Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2009 | 20.1% | 20.6% | |
| Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2009 | 18.7% | 15.6% | |
| Female persons, percent, 2009 | 51.4% | 51.2% | |
| White persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 93.1% | 96.1% | |
| Black persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 0.6% | 1.2% | |
| American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2009 (a) | 4.5% | 0.6% | |
| Asians 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 | 1.3% | 1.1% | |
| Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2009 (b) | 1.7% | 1.4% | |
| White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2009 | 91.7% | 94.9% | |
| Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over | 66.7% | 59.6% | |
| Foreign born persons, percent, 2000 | 4.1% | 2.9% | |
| Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000 | 5.4% | 7.8% | |
| High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000 | 79.9% | 85.4% | |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000 | 14.7% | 22.9% | |
| Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000 | 8,543 | 237,910 | |
| Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000 | 19.2 | 22.7 | |
| Housing units, 2009 | 23,028 | 704,578 | |
| Homeownership rate, 2000 | 77.7% | 71.6% | |
| Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000 | 8.8% | 20.3% | |
| Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000 | $68,700 | $98,700 | |
| Households, 2000 | 14,118 | 518,200 | |
| Persons per household, 2000 | 2.34 | 2.39 | |
| Median household income, 2008 | $31,856 | $46,419 | |
| Per capita money income, 1999 | $14,119 | $19,533 | |
| Persons below poverty level, percent, 2008 | 20.1% | 12.6% | |
| Business QuickFacts | Washington County | Maine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private nonfarm establishments, 2008 | 913 | 41,7551 | |
| Private nonfarm employment, 2008 | 7,635 | 509,0931 | |
| Private nonfarm employment, percent change 2000-2008 | -4.9% | 3.5%1 | |
| Nonemployer establishments, 2008 | 4,102 | 113,522 | |
| Total number of firms, 2002 | 4,645 | 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 | 11.3% | 24.0% | |
| Manufacturers shipments, 2002 ($1000) | 406,671 | 13,851,915 | |
| Wholesale trade sales, 2002 ($1000) | 57,127 | 10,371,084 | |
| Retail sales, 2002 ($1000) | 265,342 | 16,053,515 | |
| Retail sales per capita, 2002 | $7,942 | $12,370 | |
| Accommodation and foodservices sales, 2002 ($1000) | 22,748 | 2,045,841 | |
| Building permits, 2009 | 63 | 3,1211 | |
| Federal spending, 2008 | 456,413 | 11,974,3611 | |
| Geography QuickFacts | Washington County | Maine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land area, 2000 (square miles) | 2,568.48 | 30,861.55 | |
| Persons per square mile, 2000 | 13.2 | 41.3 | |
| FIPS Code | 029 | 23 | |
| Metropolitan or Micropolitan Statistical Area | None |
1: Includes data not distributed by county.
(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