Hancock County, Maine: commercial real estate data.
Hancock County, Maine has a population of 56,460 across 1,587 square miles, up 2.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $3.68 bn in 2024, 2,397 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 95 7(a) approvals worth $25.7 m.
122 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Hancock County
How many people live in Hancock County
- Population56,460
- Households25,572
- Average household size2.21
- Median household income$72,744
- Median age49.0
- Median gross rent$1,061 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$310,400
- Home value to household income4.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher40.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree15.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over43,250
- Population under 189,153
- Share under 1816.2 percent
- Population 65 and over15,021
- Share 65 and over26.6 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6432,286
- Civilian labor force29,014
- Unemployment rate4.6 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over61.3 percent
- Rank by population among Maine counties8th of 16
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents937th
Hancock County is the 8th largest of 16 Maine counties by population. A median home costs 4.3 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 26.6 percent against 16.2 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Hancock County
Is Hancock County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.64 percent
- Census 2020 base population55,481
- Births, 2024403
- Deaths, 2024731
- Natural change, 2024-328
- Net domestic migration, 2024308
- Net international migration, 2024166
- Total net migration, 2024474
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20242,356
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents967th
The county has grown 2.64 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Hancock County
Where people moving to Hancock County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,603
- People arriving, from those returns2,621
- Adjusted gross income arriving$150.0 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$93,595
- Largest single originHancock County Non-migrants (23,458 households)
- Largest single destination (23,458 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock County Non-migrants | 23,458 | 42,811 | $1.94 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 979 | 1,627 | $101.9 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 347 | 540 | $44.4 m |
| Other flows - South | 327 | 582 | $29.0 m |
| Penobscot County | 275 | 443 | $20.3 m |
| Other flows - West | 200 | 326 | $19.7 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 105 | 179 | $8.9 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 80 | 119 | $4.1 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Hancock County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Hancock County
What the Hancock County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$3.68 bn
- County GDP, 2023$3.51 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.8 percent
- GDP change over five years39.7 percent
- Rank by GDP among Maine counties6th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents864th
- GDP per resident$65,200
Output grew 4.8 percent in the latest year and 39.7 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Hancock County
Who employs people in Hancock County
- Covered employment, annual average23,631
- Establishments reporting2,980
- Average annual pay$53,780
- Average weekly wage$1,034
- Sector 72, employment3,775
- Sector 72, average annual pay$38,489
- Sector 44-45, employment3,630
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$38,801
- Sector 62, employment2,805
- Sector 62, average annual pay$62,357
- Sector 54, employment2,102
- Sector 54, average annual pay$91,734
- Sector 23, employment1,803
- Sector 81, employment1,110
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 72 | 3,775 | 369 | $38,489 |
| Sector 44-45 | 3,630 | 314 | $38,801 |
| Sector 62 | 2,805 | 199 | $62,357 |
| Sector 54 | 2,102 | 328 | $91,734 |
| Sector 23 | 1,803 | 358 | $58,565 |
| Sector 81 | 1,110 | 244 | $50,854 |
| Sector 31-33 | 859 | 91 | $51,491 |
| Sector 56 | 648 | 157 | $44,199 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 3,775 jobs, 16.0 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Hancock County
What businesses operate in Hancock County
- Establishments, all industries2,397
- Employment at those establishments17,387
- Annual payroll$994.7 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents42.5
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Hancock County
What is being built in Hancock County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024259
- Declared construction value permitted$85.6 m
- Single family units authorised245
- Multifamily units authorised14
- Multifamily share of units5.4 percent
- Average declared value per unit$330,492
- Units authorised per 1,000 households10.1
Multifamily is 5.4 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Hancock County
How much SBA lending happens in Hancock County
- 7(a) approvals recorded95
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$25.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$270,854
- Median 7(a) approval$104,400
- 10th percentile approval$22,000
- 90th percentile approval$598,500
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)540
- Jobs per approval5.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active18
- Distinct industries receiving approvals55
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer18.9 percent
- Loans on real estate terms18
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter72
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals1.1 percent
- Leading industry by approval countShellfish Fishing (15)
- Most active lenderFranklin Savings Bank (21)
- 504 approvals recorded51
- 504 gross approval dollars$23.3 m
- Average 504 approval$456,922
- Median 504 approval$353,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval5.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.9
- Most active CDCGranite State Economic Development Corporation (28)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals65.1 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$49.0 m
The average approval of $270,854 sits well above the median of $104,400, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 18.9 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Hancock County
Do SBA loans in Hancock County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded30
- Paid in full30
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure57
- Status: Paid in full30
- Status: Cancelled5
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed3
| NAICS | Industry | Resolved loans | Charged off | Charge off rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 114112 | Shellfish Fishing | 10 | 0 | 0.0% |
Of the 30 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong. Among industries with at least ten resolved loans, Shellfish Fishing carries the highest charge off rate at 0.0 percent.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Hancock County
Which parts of Hancock County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending27
- ELLSWORTH, approvals19
- BLUE HILL, approvals14
- DEER ISLE, approvals8
- SOUTHWEST HARBOR, approvals7
- Bar Harbor, approvals5
- BUCKSPORT, approvals4
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| ELLSWORTH | 19 | $10,011,200 |
| BLUE HILL | 14 | $2,299,600 |
| DEER ISLE | 8 | $819,000 |
| SOUTHWEST HARBOR | 7 | $1,814,200 |
| Bar Harbor | 5 | $542,000 |
| BUCKSPORT | 4 | $1,312,500 |
| BASS HARBOR | 4 | $598,600 |
| HANCOCK | 4 | $2,833,400 |
ELLSWORTH accounts for 19 approvals against 14 in BLUE HILL. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Hancock County
How big is Hancock County
- Land area1,587 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Maine counties8th of 16
- Width, east to west44 mi
- Height, north to south79.6 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land36
- Establishments per square mile1.51
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Hancock County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Hancock County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population56,460
- Households25,572
- Average household size2.21
- Median household income$72,744
- Median age49.0
Common questions
Hancock County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Hancock County, Maine?
56,460, in 25,572 households, ranking 8th of 16 Maine counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Hancock County growing?
The population has grown 2.64 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 403 births against 731 deaths, with net migration of 474. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Hancock County?
$72,744. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $310,400, which is 4.3 times income, and median gross rent is $1,061 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Hancock County?
2,397 establishments, employing 17,387 people with an annual payroll of $994.7 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Hancock County?
Average annual pay is $53,780, or $1,034 a week, across 23,631 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Hancock County?
95 7(a) approvals totalling $25.7 m since FY2020, across 18 lenders, with a median approval of $104,400, plus 51 504 approvals worth $23.3 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Hancock County get paid back?
Of the 30 loans that have reached a final outcome, 30 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Hancock County?
259 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $85.6 m. Multifamily was 5.4 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Hancock County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Hancock County come from?
The largest single origin is Hancock County Non-migrants, with 23,458 households. Arriving households report an average income of $93,595 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Hancock County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Hancock County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.