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Maine change

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Maine Children's Alliance

Immigrant population-- number of people of any age who are foreign born in Maine

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Why This Indicator Matters

Maine has the oldest median age in the United States, so drawing in new residents from other states and other countries is important for the economy. In light of the national and state discussions about immigration, it is helpful to know how many immigrants live in Maine's 16 counties. Maine is 45th in the nation based on the percentage of their population that is foreign born. Percent foreign-born by state

What the data show7
Maine's population that is foreign-born has remained at 3.6% for each of the 5-year periods from 2012-2016 to 2016-2020. The most recent population growth in Maine is from out-of-staters moving in, rather than from people from other countries, or from births. 

Four counties in Maine have two-thirds of the state's immigrant population. Cumberland County has 37% of the state's foreign-born population, while York has 15% and Penobscot has 9% and Androscoggin 8%. There are six counties where there are less than 1,000 people who are immigrants. 
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Definitions: What this measures
The numerator is the number of people of any age who are legally in the United States and are foreign born. It is based on 5-year estimates of county level populations, the most recent being  for 2016-2020. The denominator is the 5-year estimates of total population per the US Census estimated for 2016-2020. 


Data Source: US Census American Community Survey available on data.census.gov Table B05002

Footnotes:  In the census, the term "foreign born" refers to people residing in the United States at the time of the population survey who were not U.S. citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent immigrants (or green-card holders), refugees and asylees, certain legal non-immigrants (including those on student, work, or some other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization.

Updated May 2022.