Penobscot County Demographics

A map of Penobscot County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	141,000	138,306	91.1%	90.9%
Multiracial	5,196	6,076	3.4%	4.0%
Hispanic	3,223	2,715	2.1%	1.8%
Native American/Other	1,946	1,806	1.3%	1.2%
Black	1,704	1,443	1.1%	0.9%
Asian	1,641	1,853	1.1%	1.2%

Penobscot County, Maine has an estimated population of 154,710, a slight increase from the 152,199 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 91.1% White, 3.4% Multiracial, 2.1% Hispanic, 1.3% Native American/Other, 1.1% Black, and 1.1% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Penobscot County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Penobscot is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is less diverse than Maine overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Penobscot County, that probability was 17.2% in 2020 and 16.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Penobscot County is ranked the 3rd most populous county in Maine, out of 16 counties. Penobscot County was ranked the 3rd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Penobscot County's White Population

141,000 residents of Penobscot County, or 91.1% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Penobscot County is comparable to the share in Maine overall, where 89.9% of the population is White. Penobscot County ranks 13th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 16 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Penobscot County's White population has grown by an estimated 1.9%. White residents' share of Penobscot County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 91.1%.

Penobscot County is more White than neighboring Washington County (87.6% White). Penobscot County is less White than neighboring Piscataquis County (92.7% White), Hancock County (92.6% White), Waldo County (92.8% White), and Aroostook County (92.5% White).

Penobscot County's Black Population

1,704 residents of Penobscot County, or 1.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Penobscot County is comparable to the share in Maine overall, where 1.8% of the population is Black. Penobscot County ranks 3rd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 16 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Penobscot County's Black population has grown by an estimated 18.1%. Black residents' share of Penobscot County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.1%.

Penobscot County is more Black than neighboring Piscataquis County (1% Black), Hancock County (1% Black), Waldo County (0.4% Black), Washington County (0.7% Black), and Aroostook County (0.7% Black).

Penobscot County's Asian Population

1,641 residents of Penobscot County, or 1.1% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Penobscot County is comparable to the share in Maine overall, where 1.1% of the population is Asian. Penobscot County ranks 3rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 16 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Penobscot County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 11.4%. Asian residents' share of Penobscot County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.1%.

Penobscot County is more Asian than neighboring Piscataquis County (0.8% Asian), Hancock County (1% Asian), Waldo County (0.5% Asian), Washington County (0.3% Asian), and Aroostook County (0.3% Asian).

Penobscot County's Hispanic Population

3,223 residents of Penobscot County, or 2.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Penobscot County is comparable to the share in Maine overall, where 2.2% of the population is Hispanic. Penobscot County ranks 6th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 16 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Penobscot County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 18.7%. Hispanic residents' share of Penobscot County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.1%.

Penobscot County is more Hispanic than neighboring Piscataquis County (1.9% Hispanic), Hancock County (1.9% Hispanic), Waldo County (1.6% Hispanic), and Aroostook County (1.7% Hispanic). Penobscot County is less Hispanic than neighboring Washington County (2.5% Hispanic).

Penobscot County's Native American/Other Population

1,946 residents of Penobscot County, or 1.3% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Penobscot County is comparable to the share in Maine overall, where 0.7% of the population is Native American/Other. Penobscot County ranks 3rd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 16 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Penobscot County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 7.8%. Native American/Other residents' share of Penobscot County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.3%.

Penobscot County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Piscataquis County (0.3% Native American/Other), Hancock County (0.8% Native American/Other), and Waldo County (0.7% Native American/Other). Penobscot County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Washington County (4.7% Native American/Other).

Penobscot County's Multiracial Population

5,196 residents of Penobscot County, or 3.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Penobscot County is comparable to the share in Maine overall, where 4.2% of the population is Multiracial. Penobscot County ranks 7th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 16 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Penobscot County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 14.5%. Multiracial residents' share of Penobscot County's population has decreased from 4.0% to 3.4%.

Penobscot County is more Multiracial than neighboring Piscataquis County (3.3% Multiracial), Hancock County (2.8% Multiracial), and Aroostook County (3.3% Multiracial). Penobscot County is less Multiracial than neighboring Waldo County (4% Multiracial), and Washington County (4.1% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.