Penobscot County, Maine: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted R+11%. Republican peak: R+57 in 1924.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+11MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 154,7102024 5-year
- Median household income
- $66,3562024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 91.8%2024 5-year
- Black
- 1.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 2.1%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+33 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+57 in 1924MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Otsego County, NY · similarity 0.95
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Penobscot CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Penobscot County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | −17.4% |
| 1896 | −34.6% |
| 1900 | −30.3% |
| 1904 | −50.3% |
| 1908 | −34.3% |
| 1912 | +12.3% |
| 1916 | −0.2% |
| 1920 | −39.4% |
| 1924 | −57.0% |
| 1928 | −40.8% |
| 1932 | −18.3% |
| 1936 | −29.8% |
| 1940 | −11.7% |
| 1944 | −12.0% |
| 1948 | −20.7% |
| 1952 | −37.3% |
| 1956 | −52.9% |
| 1960 | −19.5% |
| 1964 | +33.1% |
| 1968 | +9.6% |
| 1972 | −23.9% |
| 1976 | −7.8% |
| 1980 | −3.7% |
| 1984 | −24.5% |
| 1988 | −10.2% |
| 1992 | +6.5% |
| 1996 | +18.5% |
| 2000 | −3.8% |
| 2004 | +0.1% |
| 2008 | +5.0% |
| 2012 | +2.9% |
| 2016 | −10.9% |
| 2020 | −8.3% |
| 2024 | −10.9% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 37,945 | 47,438 | 87,073 | ||
| R | 37,713 | 44,825 | 86,133 | ||
| R | 32,838 | 41,622 | 80,540 | ||
| D | 38,811 | 36,547 | 77,306 | ||
| D | 41,514 | 37,495 | 80,367 | ||
| D | 40,417 | 40,318 | 82,112 | ||
| R | 32,868 | 35,620 | 73,206 | ||
| D | 35,961 | 22,885 | 70,517 | ||
| D | 29,485 | 24,218 | 80,444 | ||
| R | 28,429 | 34,912 | 63,754 | ||
| R | 24,445 | 40,403 | 65,054 | ||
| R | 26,519 | 28,869 | 62,793 | ||
| R | 24,672 | 29,016 | 55,613 | ||
| R | 18,552 | 30,186 | 48,749 | ||
| D | 24,327 | 20,011 | 44,999 | ||
| D | 28,766 | 14,449 | 43,232 | ||
| R | 19,175 | 28,459 | 47,634 | ||
| R | 8,568 | 27,806 | 36,374 | ||
| R | 11,222 | 24,614 | 35,885 | ||
| R | 10,705 | 16,367 | 27,315 | ||
| R | 13,292 | 16,934 | 30,264 | ||
| R | 14,757 | 18,674 | 33,471 | ||
| R | 9,732 | 19,077 | 31,368 | ||
| R | 13,058 | 18,987 | 32,317 | ||
| R | 9,114 | 21,750 | 30,960 | ||
| R | 3,618 | 15,081 | 20,128 | ||
| R | 6,110 | 14,145 | 20,398 | ||
| R | 7,294 | 7,324 | 14,823 | ||
| O | 5,093 | 3,367 | 14,082 | ||
| R | 3,525 | 7,336 | 11,110 | ||
| R | 2,225 | 7,013 | 9,523 | ||
| R | 3,615 | 6,873 | 10,761 | ||
| R | 4,031 | 8,414 | 12,668 | ||
| R | 4,516 | 6,571 | 11,781 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
21.2%
Irish
15.4%
French
11.4%
American
8.0%
German
6.5%
Italian
4.8%
Scottish
4.2%
African American
1.0%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 42.5 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$66,356
Penobscot County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Penobscot County$66,356
Maine$74,733
United States$80,734
Penobscot County ranks near the middle of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
14.1%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1815.6%
Working age (18–64)13.8%
Seniors (65+)13.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
95.1%
speak English only
Other Indo-European2.3%
Spanish1.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.7%
Other languages0.7%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 71.0% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Penobscot, anchored by Bangor, was a presidential battleground as recently as 2012 but has moved double digits toward Republicans over the past decade, reflecting broader realignment among rural and working-class voters across northern New England.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached thirty-three points in 1964; the Republican margin reached fifty-seven points in 1924. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved three points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was eleven points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 92% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $66,356, and a 14% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Otsego County and Nelson County.
Most similar counties
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Penobscot County, Maine. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/23019/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in Maine
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Frequently asked questions
How did Penobscot County, Maine vote in 2024?
In 2024, Penobscot County, Maine voted Republican by 10.9 points (R+11), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 87,073 votes cast, 37,945 went Democratic and 47,438 went Republican.
What is Penobscot County, Maine's political typology?
Akashic places Penobscot County, Maine in the "Industrial Catholic Metro" typology — Mid-size industrial metros with Catholic ethnic roots — among the most competitive, swing-prone ground in the country. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 7 times, Republican 26 times, and other 1 times.
When did Penobscot County, Maine last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Penobscot County, Maine voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Penobscot County, Maine?
Penobscot County, Maine has a population of 154,710 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Penobscot County, Maine?
Median household income in Penobscot County, Maine is $66,356 — below the national median of $80,734. The Maine state median is $74,733.
What is the political history of Penobscot County, Maine?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Penobscot County, Maine from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 7 went Democratic and 26 went Republican. The county's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.