Population 190 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in South Penobscot
Household size in South Penobscot
| Period | South Penobscot | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.00 | 2.37 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.06 | 2.36 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.11 | 2.35 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.17 | 2.30 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.17 | −0.07 | −0.03 |
Households in South Penobscot are small: just 2.17 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Since 2006–10, household size has climbed from 2.00, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in South Penobscot
| Period | South Penobscot | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 64.3 | 42.1 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 53.5 | 43.5 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 51.5 | 45.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 53.4 | 45.0 | 40.1 |
| Change | −10.9 | +2.9 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 53.4, South Penobscot is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in South Penobscot
| Period | South Penobscot | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.2% | 10.1% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 6.6% | 10.1% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 10.8% | 9.4% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.8% | 8.8% | 11.6% |
| Change | +7.6 pts | −1.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head just over one in ten households in South Penobscot (10.8%), close to the national share of 11.6%. Single parents are more common here than in Maine as a whole (8.8%).
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in South Penobscot
Renters in South Penobscot
| Period | South Penobscot | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 18.0% | 26.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 18.5% | 28.6% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 13.7% | 27.7% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 15.8% | 25.7% | 34.8% |
| Change | −2.2 pts | −1.2 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 15.8% of households in South Penobscot rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. About six in ten owners (59.0%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in South Penobscot
| Period | South Penobscot | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 39.1% | 17.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 33.8% | 18.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 39.6% | 19.0% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 32.4% | 16.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −6.7 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 32.4% of the housing in South Penobscot, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in South Penobscot
| Period | South Penobscot | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1975 | 1969 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1979 | 1971 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1985 | 1973 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1979 | 1975 | 1980 |
| Change | +4 | +6 | +6 |
The typical home in South Penobscot was built around 1979, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980). Homes here are newer than in Maine overall, where the median home dates to 1975.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in South Penobscot
| Period | South Penobscot | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $712 | $766 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $777 | $831 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $776 | $919 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,137 | $1,230 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$425 | +$464 | +$606 |
The median renter in South Penobscot pays $1,137 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 50.6% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in South Penobscot
Bachelor's degrees in South Penobscot
| Period | South Penobscot | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 27.2% | 27.0% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 34.5% | 28.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 36.9% | 32.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 32.2% | 36.5% | 35.6% |
| Change | +5.0 pts | +9.5 pts | +7.2 pts |
Nearly a third of adults 25 and older in South Penobscot (32.2%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, a little below the national share of 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in South Penobscot
| Period | South Penobscot | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 84.1% | 89.9% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 90.5% | 91.4% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 95.1% | 92.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 97.2% | 94.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | +13.1 pts | +4.8 pts | +4.3 pts |
Finishing high school is nearly universal in South Penobscot: 97.2% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in South Penobscot
| Period | South Penobscot | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.8% | 6.6% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 5.9% | 7.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.7% | 4.2% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.3% | 3.9% | 5.4% |
| Change | −1.5 pts | −2.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been a little easier to find in South Penobscot than nationally: unemployment was 4.3%, against 5.4%. Maine as a whole looks much the same. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
South Penobscot compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Penobscot | 2.17 | 53.4 | 10.8% | 15.8% | 32.4% | 1979 | $1,137 | 32.2% | 97.2% | 4.3% |
| Penobscot | 2.17 | 52.5 | 10.6% | 15.5% | 31.8% | 1980 | $1,126 | 33.0% | 96.6% | 4.1% |
| West Brooksville | 1.91 | 61.2 | 3.1% | 14.8% | 52.1% | 1982 | $1,306 | 52.7% | 96.5% | 4.7% |
| West Penobscot | 2.12 | 56.8 | 5.7% | 14.0% | 26.9% | 1986 | $1,252 | 31.5% | 97.2% | 3.3% |
| Blue Hill | 2.12 | 50.0 | 12.8% | 19.6% | 26.6% | 1992 | $1,074 | 35.7% | 93.0% | 5.5% |
| Brooksville | 1.91 | 61.4 | 3.1% | 14.8% | 52.0% | 1982 | $1,306 | 52.6% | 96.5% | 4.7% |
| Castine | 2.22 | 21.2 | 4.3% | 19.6% | 51.1% | 1974 | $1,105 | 74.5% | 99.8% | 2.7% |
| Verona Island | 2.05 | 48.9 | 8.5% | 2.6% | 21.1% | 1949 | $1,132 | 35.3% | 96.1% | 1.9% |
| Norumbega | 1.91 | 61.4 | 3.1% | 14.8% | 52.1% | 1982 | $1,307 | 52.6% | 96.5% | 4.7% |
| Orland | 2.06 | 48.9 | 9.8% | 12.6% | 29.9% | 1978 | $1,144 | 30.4% | 94.7% | 2.6% |
| Sedgwick | 2.01 | 51.7 | 4.1% | 17.6% | 26.4% | 1983 | $1,063 | 44.3% | 96.0% | 2.2% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Olivet, IL · Raccoon Ford, VA · Quiggleville, PA · Quarry, IA · Putnam, OK · Putnam Heights, CT · Oxoboxo River, CT · Osborn, AL · Ookala, HI · Ollie, MT
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up South Penobscot. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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