Penobscot County, Maine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Penobscot County
U.S. county
Penobscot County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Maine
Maine's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Maine
Founded	1816
Named for	Penobscot tribe
Seat	Bangor
Largest city	Bangor
Area
• Total	3,557 sq mi (9,210 km2)
• Land	3,397 sq mi (8,800 km2)
• Water	160 sq mi (400 km2)  4.5%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	152,199
• Density	45/sq mi (17/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.penobscot-county.net

Penobscot County is a county in the U.S. state of Maine, named for the Penobscot people in Wabanakik. As of the 2020 census, the population was 152,199, making it the third-most-populous county in Maine. Its county seat is Bangor. The county was established on February 15, 1816, from part of Hancock County when the area was still part of Massachusetts. Penobscot County is home to the University of Maine.

Penobscot County comprises the Bangor, ME Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 3,557 square miles (9,210 km²), of which 3,397 square miles (8,800 km²) is land and 160 square miles (410 km²) (4.5%) is water. The county highpoint is East Turner Mountain at 2456 ft next to Baxter State Park.

Adjacent counties

• Aroostook County – north
• Washington County – southeast
• Hancock County – south
• Waldo County – southwest
• Somerset County – west
• Piscataquis County – northwest

National protected area

• Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 153,923 people, 62,966 households, and 38,917 families living in the county. The population density was 45.3 inhabitants per square mile (17.5/km²). There were 73,860 housing units at an average density of 21.7 units per square mile (8.4 units/km²). The county's racial makeup was 95.4% white, 1.2% American Indian, 0.9% Asian, 0.8% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.9% were English, 17.2% were Irish, 9.4% were American, 7.1% were German, 6.0% were French Canadian, and 5.9% were Scottish.

Of the 62,966 households, 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.2% were non-families, and 28.0% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 39.9 years.

The county's median household income was $42,658 and the median family income was $54,271. Males had a median income of $41,094 versus $31,910 for females. The county's per capita income was $22,977. About 10.1% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Bangor (county seat)
• Brewer
• Old Town

Towns

Plantations

• Carroll Plantation
• Drew Plantation
• Seboeis Plantation
• Webster Plantation

Census-designated places

Unorganized territories

Indian reservation

• Penobscot Indian Island Reservation

Education

School districts include:

University of Maine is in Orono.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Penobscot para niños