Americans on the whole were doing well financially heading into 2020, with major markers like unemployment reaching 50-year lows. The pandemic changed all that: During the second quarter of the 2020 fiscal year, our nation's real GDP fell by a whopping 31.4%, a number that hasn't been seen since the Great Depression. Since then the GDP has recovered, the first quarter of 2022 was 11% above the fourth quarter of 2019.
While GDP has recovered since the height of the pandemic, wage growth has not kept pace with inflation. In 2021 average hourly wages increased 4.7% while there was 7% inflation, meaning the worker's purchasing power dropped by 2.4%.
Where you live can make a big impact on your financial situation. The highest earning county in the U.S. earns $147,111, while the lowest earns $22,292. Stacker compiled a list of the lowest-earning counties in Maine using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the Census' 2020 5-year estimate median household income.
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#16. Cumberland County
- Median household income: $76,014
--- 27.8% above state average, 17.0% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 36.3%
--- #253 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.7%
--- #2,898 highest among all counties nationwide
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#15. York County
- Median household income: $68,932
--- 15.9% above state average, 6.1% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 30.5%
--- #452 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.3%
--- #2,734 highest among all counties nationwide
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#14. Sagadahoc County
- Median household income: $68,039
--- 14.4% above state average, 4.7% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 26.4%
--- #741 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.4%
--- #2,698 highest among all counties nationwide
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#13. Hancock County
- Median household income: $58,345
--- 1.9% below state average, 10.2% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 24.1%
--- #974 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.3%
--- #2,105 highest among all counties nationwide
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#12. Lincoln County
- Median household income: $58,125
--- 2.3% below state average, 10.6% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 22.4%
--- #1,216 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 11.1%
--- #2,089 highest among all counties nationwide
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#11. Waldo County
- Median household income: $58,034
--- 2.4% below state average, 10.7% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 21.2%
--- #1,422 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.4%
--- #2,084 highest among all counties nationwide
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#10. Knox County
- Median household income: $57,794
--- 2.8% below state average, 11.1% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 23.6%
--- #1,039 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 8.4%
--- #2,069 highest among all counties nationwide
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#9. Kennebec County
- Median household income: $55,368
--- 6.9% below state average, 14.8% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 22.3%
--- #1,234 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.8%
--- #1,836 highest among all counties nationwide
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#8. Androscoggin County
- Median household income: $55,002
--- 7.5% below state average, 15.4% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 23.2%
--- #1,101 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 9.9%
--- #1,801 highest among all counties nationwide
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#7. Penobscot County
- Median household income: $52,128
--- 12.4% below state average, 19.8% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 20.7%
--- #1,492 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 11.3%
--- #1,489 highest among all counties nationwide
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#6. Franklin County
- Median household income: $51,630
--- 13.2% below state average, 20.6% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 18.8%
--- #1,821 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 11.5%
--- #1,408 highest among all counties nationwide
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#5. Oxford County
- Median household income: $49,761
--- 16.4% below state average, 23.4% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 18.3%
--- #1,902 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 11.0%
--- #1,184 highest among all counties nationwide
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#4. Somerset County
- Median household income: $45,382
--- 23.7% below state average, 30.2% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 14.2%
--- #2,615 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 15.4%
--- #770 highest among all counties nationwide
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#3. Washington County
- Median household income: $44,847
--- 24.6% below state average, 31.0% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 15.9%
--- #2,358 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 17.5%
--- #717 highest among all counties nationwide
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#2. Aroostook County
- Median household income: $43,791
--- 26.4% below state average, 32.6% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 14.6%
--- #2,559 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 16.2%
--- #631 highest among all counties nationwide
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#1. Piscataquis County
- Median household income: $42,083
--- 29.3% below state average, 35.3% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 13.3%
--- #2,726 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 15.2%
--- #495 highest among all counties nationwide
