State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

Maine: County Rent Burden

How much of household income goes to rent in each Maine county, FY 2026.

26.2%
State avg 2BR burden
1
Counties over 30% (of 16)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about Maine

Rent burden measures the share of household income going to rent. The federal standard, used by HUD and the Census Bureau, flags any household paying more than 30% of gross income on rent as "cost-burdened" and any household above 50% as "severely cost-burdened." This page calculates county-level burden by dividing HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rents, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom, by Census-reported median household income for each county in Maine. Across the 16 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 26.2%, compared with a national average of 21.7% - meaning Maine sits 4.5 percentage points higher than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In Maine, 1 of 16 counties (6%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Piscataquis County at 30.8%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,419 eats that share of the local median income of $55,234. Because HUD's FMR sits at the 40th percentile of gross rents, this calculation understates the reality faced by renters paying market-rate: many higher-quality units in each county rent well above FMR, pushing actual burden rates even higher than the numbers shown below.

Burden data has direct policy stakes. High-burden counties see stronger demand for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (which cap tenant contribution at 30% of adjusted income and cover the gap up to FMR) and for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units, both of which rely on HUD's FMR as the foundational input. High burden also correlates with longer waitlists for public housing and greater housing instability, eviction filings, doubling up, and homelessness all rise in counties above the 50% threshold. Pair this page with the cheapest-counties ranking and year-over-year rent growth to see which Maine counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between Maine and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
26.2%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
1
of 16
Severely Burdened
0
> 50% of income

All Counties by Rent Burden

# County 1 BR Rent 2 BR Rent 1 BR Burden 2 BR Burden
1 Piscataquis County $1,081 $1,419 23.5% 30.8%
2 Washington County $954 $1,252 21.9% 28.8%
3 Androscoggin County $1,218 $1,586 21.7% 28.3%
4 Aroostook County $949 $1,224 21% 27.1%
5 Franklin County $1,008 $1,322 20.7% 27.1%
6 Somerset County $1,083 $1,266 23.1% 27%
7 Oxford County $989 $1,295 20.5% 26.8%
8 Penobscot County $1,061 $1,392 20.1% 26.4%
9 Kennebec County $1,090 $1,416 20.1% 26.1%
10 Hancock County $1,234 $1,501 21.3% 25.9%
11 Knox County $1,270 $1,526 21.2% 25.5%
12 Waldo County $1,163 $1,438 20.4% 25.2%
13 York County $1,412 $1,716 20.4% 24.8%
14 Cumberland County $1,397 $1,833 18% 23.7%
15 Lincoln County $1,280 $1,403 21.3% 23.4%
16 Sagadahoc County $1,264 $1,577 18.5% 23.1%
National burden rankings → All Maine rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in Maine? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in Maine is 26.2% of household income. 1 of 16 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in Maine are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Piscataquis County at 30.8% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does Maine compare to the national average? ▼
Maine's average rent burden is 26.2% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 4.5 percentage points higher than average.

Data sources: HUD FY 2026 Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau median household income. Rent burden = (annual FMR ÷ median income) × 100.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.