Electric Consumer

Editor: Katerine G., Editor & Data Researcher · Research & publishing: Electric Consumer Editorial Team · Data retrieved · Sources named on this page: EIA-861, Census ACS, DOE LEAD, FEMA National Risk Index, OpenFEMA NFIP · How we got these numbers · Report an error

Counties in Maine ranked

5.7%of income goes to home energy in Washington County, the highest of 16 Maine counties

Cumberland County is lowest at 2.9%, a gap of 2.0 times. The median Maine county sits at 4.4%, against 3.3% for the median U.S. county. Source for Maine: DOE LEAD 2022.

Maine county map

Maine counties, shaded by quintile of the selected measureAroostook County: 5.3%York County: 3.7%Hancock County: 4.3%Washington County: 5.7%Knox County: 4.3%Oxford County: 5.2%Androscoggin County: 4.2%Sagadahoc County: 4.0%Franklin County: 4.9%Somerset County: 5.3%Kennebec County: 4.5%Waldo County: 4.6%Piscataquis County: 5.6%Penobscot County: 4.3%Lincoln County: 4.2%Cumberland County: 2.9%
  • 2.9% to 4.2%
  • 4.2% to 4.3%
  • 4.3% to 4.9%
  • 4.9% to 5.3%
  • 5.3% to 5.7%

Maine counties, darker = higher. Click one for its page.

Highest energy burden in Maine

Washington County leads Maine on burden at 5.7% of income and Piscataquis County follows at 5.6%. For lower-income homes the top is Washington County: 16.0% of income, against 13.4% in the median Maine county.

home energy burden, % of income, top 10 Maine counties

  • Washington County5.7
  • Piscataquis County5.6
  • Aroostook County5.3
  • Somerset County5.3
  • Oxford County5.2
  • Franklin County4.9
  • Waldo County4.6
  • Kennebec County4.5
  • Hancock County4.3
  • Penobscot County4.3
  • Maine median county4.4
Maine counties with the lowest home energy burden
Lowest burden in MaineShare of income (ME)Residents (ME)
Cumberland County2.9%305,940
York County3.7%214,731
Sagadahoc County4.0%37,093
Androscoggin County4.2%112,323
Lincoln County4.2%35,840

Storm reports and FEMA risk in Maine

NOAA logged 240 damaging-wind, tornado, tropical, ice, winter and heat reports in Piscataquis County from 2015 to 2025, 1,401 for every 100,000 residents: the most in Maine. FEMA scores York County highest at 81.5 (relatively moderate). In Maine these are weather reports and an index, not outage counts.

Maine top 5: Storm reports per 100,000 residents
Top 5 in Mainereports 2015-2025 (ME)Residents (ME)Rank (ME)
Piscataquis County1,40117,1251st
Washington County79331,2612nd
Aroostook County60467,2273rd
Franklin County45130,1454th
Somerset County45050,8525th
Maine top 5: FEMA risk score
Top 5 in Mainescore 0-100 (ME)Residents (ME)Rank (ME)
York County81.5214,7311st
Aroostook County80.467,2272nd
Penobscot County78.0153,5713rd
Cumberland County77.0305,9404th
Kennebec County75.2125,6145th

Flood claims and flood insurance in Maine

York County has the most NFIP flood claims per 1,000 homes in Maine: 8.8 from 2015 to 2025, against 1.4 in the median Maine county. York County has the highest share of homes with flood insurance (3.4%, median county 0.7%). Claims are a record of insured losses, not outage counts.

Maine top 5: Flood claims per 1,000 homes
Top 5 in Maineclaims 2015-2025 (ME)Residents (ME)Rank (ME)
York County8.8214,7311st
Lincoln County3.735,8402nd
Oxford County2.658,7283rd
Franklin County2.430,1454th
Knox County2.140,8605th
Maine top 5: Flood insurance penetration
Top 5 in Maine% of homes insured (ME)Residents (ME)Rank (ME)
York County3.4%214,7311st
Lincoln County1.6%35,8402nd
Knox County1.5%40,8603rd
Cumberland County1.3%305,9404th
Oxford County1.1%58,7285th

FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP, as of 8 Sep 2026. Flood claims by county.

Outliers: Maine counties far from the state median

3 county-measure pairs sit 3 or more scaled median-absolute-deviation units from the Maine median. Most extreme: York County, flood claims per 1,000 homes 8.8 against a median of 1.4.

Maine outliers by deviation from the state median
CountyMeasureValueMaine medianDeviations
York CountyFlood claims per 1,000 homes8.81.4+7.3
York CountyFlood insurance penetration3.4%0.7%+5.6
Piscataquis CountyStorm reports per 100,000 residents1,401282+4.5

Old homes, electric heat and utilities in Maine

Aroostook County has the oldest stock: 65% of homes date from before 1980. Electric heat is most common in Cumberland County at 13% of homes, and Aroostook County lists 3 utilities, the most in Maine.

Maine top 5: Homes built before 1980
Top 5 in Maine% of homes (ME)Residents (ME)Rank (ME)
Aroostook County65%67,2271st
Androscoggin County64%112,3232nd
Knox County58%40,8603rd
Washington County58%31,2614th
Kennebec County58%125,6145th
Maine top 5: Homes heated by electricity
Top 5 in Maine% of homes (ME)Residents (ME)Rank (ME)
Cumberland County13%305,9401st
Penobscot County11%153,5712nd
Hancock County11%56,0843rd
Aroostook County10%67,2274th
Knox County10%40,8605th

Find your Maine county

  • Pick a Maine county to see its ranks.

All 16 Maine counties, sortable

16 Maine counties, all measures
Androscoggin County112,3234.2%11.7%8759.164%8%10.70.5%98
Aroostook County67,2275.3%13.4%60480.465%10%30.80.3%406
Cumberland County305,9402.9%11.6%9477.056%13%11.11.3%287
Franklin County30,1454.9%12.7%45143.653%9%12.40.7%136
Hancock County56,0844.3%13.4%33355.048%11%21.61.0%187
Kennebec County125,6144.5%12.7%7875.258%9%11.30.5%98
Knox County40,8604.3%14.3%16928.658%10%12.11.5%69
Lincoln County35,8404.2%13.3%19531.854%8%13.71.6%70
Oxford County58,7285.2%13.8%31765.955%7%12.61.1%186
Penobscot County153,5714.3%11.7%25778.054%11%30.20.3%395
Piscataquis County17,1255.6%14.7%1,40152.457%8%20.50.4%240
Sagadahoc County37,0934.0%14.7%18923.354%9%11.30.9%70
Somerset County50,8525.3%14.0%45067.954%9%21.50.6%229
Waldo County40,0064.6%13.4%30740.646%10%21.60.8%123
Washington County31,2615.7%16.0%79347.658%7%20.80.7%248
York County214,7313.7%12.4%9481.551%9%18.83.4%202

Download CSV, 16 rows

Maine: click a header to sort. Per-capita storm rates start at 5,000 residents.

Sources

Maine sources with periods and retrieval dates
SourcePeriodRetrieved
DOE LEAD (ME)20222 Oct 2026
FEMA NRI (ME)Dec 20252 Oct 2026
NOAA Storm Events (ME)2015 to 20252 Oct 2026
Census ACS (ME)2019 to 20232 Oct 2026
EIA-861 (ME)20241 Oct 2026

Maine LEAD figures are group estimates, not bills. Methodology.

Keep going

Other states: Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri.

Questions

Which Maine county has the highest home energy burden?

Washington County: 5.7% of income, against 4.4% for the median Maine county (DOE LEAD 2022).

Which Maine county has the lowest energy burden?

Cumberland County at 2.9% of income.

How does Maine compare with the whole country?

The median Maine county has a burden of 4.4% and the median U.S. county 3.3%, across 16 Maine counties and 3,053 U.S. counties with data.

Where do storms cause the most trouble in Maine?

Piscataquis County has the most NOAA storm reports per 100,000 residents: 1,401 between 2015 and 2025.

Which Maine county has the highest FEMA risk score?

York County: 81.5, rated relatively moderate by FEMA (Dec 2025).

Where are the oldest homes in Maine?

Aroostook County: 65% of homes were built before 1980; the median Maine county is at 55% (Census ACS 2023).

Which Maine county relies most on electric heat?

Cumberland County: 13% of homes heat with electricity, against 9% in the median county.

Which Maine county has the most flood claims per home?

York County: 8.8 NFIP claims per 1,000 homes from 2015 to 2025; the median Maine county has 1.4 (FEMA OpenFEMA).

Are storm reports the same as power outages in Maine?

No: in Maine they are weather reports, not outage counts.

Where can Maine households get help with bills?

See the Maine help page. Highest burden: Washington County.

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5.7% of income goes to home energy in Washington County, the highest of 16 Maine counties