This page highlights and increases the accessibility of some of the data and information in our 2025 countywide Housing Needs Assessment. Click on any of the figures shown below for the ability to zoom in and explore them more closely.
Key Findings
To provide a high-level summary of its contents this page highlights the introductions and key findings of each section within the countywide housing needs assessment. Visit each respective section in the assessment for addtional context, information and figures.
Interactive Web Application
A web application was created to show development opportunities and constraints as well as the location of community services and public bus stops in Hancock County. View the web application here. Switch between the “Opportunities & Constraints” and the “Community Services & Transportation” maps on the header. To interact with the data, zoom in on the map to your area of interest; you may need to do so to view all data layers. To show or hide different data layers, use the Layers menu widget in the upper right of the map window. For assistance using the map viewer or questions about the data contact agruber@hcpcme.org.
Household Survey Summary
A countywide household survey was conducted to capture the resident opinion of the county housing market. The survey received a total of 625 unique responses. This page highlights some of the more notable survey results.
Household Demographics
The maps below visualize the following household demographic information, using 2023 ESRI Updated Demographics and 2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates:
- Median Household Income, by municipality
- Percentage of the population 55 and over, by municipality
- Percentage of Owner-Occupied households, by municipality
- Percentage of renter-occupied households, by municipality
Takeaways include:
- The median household income for Hancock County in 2023 was $68,072. Less than half of county municipalities (43%) had a MHI that was greater.
- In 30 of the 37 county municipalities, at least 40% of the population is 55 years of age or over.
- Owner-occupied households comprise at least 75% of the housing units in 32 of the 37 county municipalities
- The percentage of renter-occupied households is highest in Southwest Harbor (40%), Ellsworth (31%) and Bar Harbor (30%).
Single-Family Home Sales Statistics
The figures below visualize trends in the Hancock County single-family, for-sale housing market using statistics from Maine Association of Realtors and Maine Listings. Takeaways include:
- The annual median sales price of a single-family home in Hancock County has either remained the same or increased every year since 2015-2016.
- From 2010-2025, the lowest number of homes sold annually in Hancock County was 429 in 2010. Over 1,000 homes were sold in both 2020 and 2021.
- Between 2017-2025, the median sales price per month ranged from as low as $180,000 in June 2017 to as high as $532,500 in October 2025.
- Since November 2022, the median sales price of a single-family home remained above $300,000.
- The price per square foot of homes sold in Hancock County remained above $200/square foot since April 2022.
- Between 2017-2025, the number of listings each month trended downwards while the number of closed sales per month trended upwards.
Multifamily Rental Housing Survey
HCPC conducted a survey of multifamily rental properties throughout the county between May-October 2024 to provide an accurate representation of this segment of the housing market. In total, 42 properties comprising over 1,100 units of rental housing were surveyed over the phone, via email or in-person. The maps below visualize the locations of properties surveyed, and the accompanying table provides additional information about each property. Additional details of this survey begin on page 144 of the assessment. Takeaways include:
- Of those obtained, the median year these properties were originally built is 1985. Seven properties have opened since 2018.
- 21 properties have a total of 664 units designated for seniors; this total accounted for 59% of all units surveyed.
- Nearly two-thirds of the units surveyed (62.7%) were one-bedroom units.
- Less than one-quarter of all units (24.2%) serve individuals that earn 60% AMHI or greater, limiting conventional rental options for these households
- 19% of the surveyed rental stock were market-rate units; 10.5% were non-subsidized, income-restricted units; 69% were in some capacity government-subsidized; and a total of 20 units were identified as permanent supportive housing.
- The median rent of a one-bedroom market-rate unit was $986 and the median rent of a two-bedroom market-rate unit was $1,400.
- The median rent of a one-bedroom income-restricted unit was $733 and the median rent of a two-bedroom income-restricted unit was $859.
- 99.7% of all units in this survey were currently occupied or were going to be filled by a waiting list.
| 2024 Hancock County Multifamily Rental Survey | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Map ID | Project Name | Municipality | Total Units | Bedroom Types | Year Built/ Renovated | Year Updated/ Renovated | Property Type/Target Market | Property Information |
| 1 | Beech Cliff Apartments | Southwest Harbor | 21 | 1,2 | RD 515/General Occupancy | |||
| 2 | Benjamin River | Sedgwick | 16 | 1,2 | Section 8/Seniors 62+ and Disabled Individuals 18+ | |||
| 3 | Birchwood Apartments | Tremont | 20 | 1,2,3 | 1984 | 1993 | Public Housing/Seniors 62+, Disabled Individuals 18+, General Occupancy | Click Here |
| 4 | Blue Hill Terrace | Blue Hill | 24 | 1,2 | 1983 | RD 515/General Occupancy | Click Here | |
| 5 | Bridge Hill Apartments | Ellsworth | 28 | 1,2,3 | 1981 | RD 515/General Occupancy | Click Here | |
| 6 | Bucksport Park | Bucksport | 24 | 1,2,3 | 1991 | RD 515/General Occupancy | Click Here | |
| 7 | Bucksport Square | Bucksport | 25 | 1,2 | 1986 | RD 515/Seniors 62+ and Disabled Individuals 18+ | Click Here | |
| 8 | Chicken Mill Apartments | Gouldsboro | 5 | 1,2 | 1985 | Market Rate/General Occupancy and Travel Nurses | ||
| 9 | Church Street | Ellsworth | 6 | 1 | Section 8/Permanent Supportive Housing | Click Here | ||
| 10 | Cindy Cookson House | Ellsworth | 8 | 1 | 2012 | Subsidized/Permanent Supportive Housing | Click Here | |
| 11 | Deane Street Apartments | Ellsworth | 24 | 1,2 | 1988 | Market Rate/General Occupancy | ||
| 12 | Deer Run Apartments | Deer Isle | 40 | 1 | Section 8/Seniors 62+ and Disabled Individuals 18+ | |||
| 13 | Eastland Park | Ellsworth | 24 | 1,2 | 1984 | RD 515/General Occupancy | Click Here | |
| 14 | Ellsworth Congregate aka "The Meadows" | Ellsworth | 32 | 1,2 | 2004 | Tax Credit/Seniors 55+, 50% and 60% AMHI | Click Here | |
| 15 | Gardner Commons | Bucksport | 26 | 1 | 1937 | Section 202/Seniors 62+ and Disabled Individuals 18+ | Click Here | |
| 16 | Harbor Hill Estates | Bar Harbor | 25 | 1,2 | 1988 | RD 515/Seniors 62+ and Disabled Individuals 18+ | Click Here | |
| 17 | Harborview Estates | Blue Hill | 40 | 1,2 | 1975 | 1987 | Market Rate/General Occupancy | Click Here |
| 18 | Hemlock Apartments | Bar Harbor | 24 | 1,2,3 | 2022 | Market Rate/Jackson Lab Employees | ||
| 19 | Jefferson Luxe | Ellsworth | 48 | 2 | 2020 | Market Rate/General Occupancy | Click Here | |
| 20 | Knoxview Apartments | Bucksport | 54 | 1,2,3,4 | 1978 | Market Rate/General Occupancy, Seniors 55+ | ||
| 21 | Ledge Way Apartments | Ellsworth | 22 | 1,2 | 2009 | Market Rate/General Occupancy | ||
| 22 | Leonard Lake Senior Housing | Ellsworth | 26 | 1 | 2014 | Tax Credit/Seniors 55+, 50% and 60% AMHI | Click Here | |
| 23 | Malvern Belmont Estates | Bar Harbor | 74 | 1 | 1974 | Public Housing, Section 8/Seniors 62+ and Disabled Individuals 18+ | Click Here | |
| 24 | Maple Lane Apartments | Mount Desert | 18 | 1 | 1974 | Public Housing/Seniors 62+, Disabled Individuals 18+ | Click Here | |
| 25 | Meadowview Apartments | Ellsworth | 86 | 0,1,2 | 1973 | 1999 | Market Rate, RD 515/Seniors 62+ and Disabled Individuals 18+ | Click Here |
| 26 | Mill Stream Heights | Winter Harbor | 16 | 1,2 | 1975 | 1996 | RD 515/Seniors 62+ and Disabled Individuals 18+ | Click Here |
| 27 | Norwood Cove Apartments | Southwest Harbor | 18 | 1 | 1981 | Public Housing/Seniors 62+, Disabled Individuals 18+ | Click Here | |
| 28 | Oliver's Ridge Duplexes | Deer Isle | 10 | 2 | 2023 | Income Restricted/70%-120% AMHI | Click Here | |
| 29 | Oriole Senior | Ellsworth | 29 | 0,1 | 2022 | PBV, Tax Credit/60% AMHI, Seniors 62+ | Click Here | |
| 30 | Oriole Way | Ellsworth | 50 | 1,2,3 | 2018 | Tax Credit/General Occupancy, 50% and 60% AMHI | Click Here | |
| 31 | Parish House | Bar Harbor | 6 | 1 | 2016 | Section 8/Permanent Supportive Housing | Click Here | |
| 32 | Pinebrook Apartments | Franklin | 18 | 0,1 | 1979 | Section 202/Seniors 62+ and Disabled Individuals 18+ | Click Here | |
| 33 | Prospect and Eden Apartments | Bar Harbor | 16 | 1,2,3 | 1980 | Public Housing/General Occupancy | Click Here | |
| 34 | Ridge Apartments | Southwest Harbor | 32 | 1 | 1974 | Public Housing/Seniors 62+, Disabled Individuals 18+ | Click Here | |
| 35 | River View Apartments | Ellsworth | 24 | 1 | 1993 | RD 515/Seniors 62+ and Disabled Individuals 18+ | ||
| 36 | Roddick Lorraine Apartments | Bar Harbor | 48 | 1,2 | 1982 | Public Housing/Seniors 62+, Disabled Individuals 18+ | Click Here | |
| 37 | Stonington Manor: Elderly/Disabled | Stonington | 16 | 1,2 | Section 8/Seniors 62+ and Disabled Individuals 18+ | Click Here | ||
| 38 | Stonington Manor: Family | Stonington | 6 | 2,3 | Section 8/General Occupancy | Click Here | ||
| 39 | Straw Way Family Housing | Ellsworth | 29 | 2,3 | 2013 | Tax Credit, RD 515/General Occupancy, 50% AMHI | Click Here | |
| 40 | Union River Estates | Ellsworth | 50 | 1,2 | 1983 | Public Housing/Seniors 62+, Disabled Individuals 18+ | Click Here | |
| 41 | Village Way | Ellsworth | 12 | 2,3 | 2019 | 2023 | Market Rate/General Occupancy | Click Here |
| 42 | Washington Luxe | Ellsworth | 12 | 2 | 2019 | Market Rate/General Occupancy | ||
Short-Term Rental Market
Using information sourced from AirDNA, a leading provider of data and analytics for the short-term rental (STR) industry, data availble on short-term rentals in Hancock County was analyzed to help provide an accurate representation of their impact on the county housing market. The data obtained and analyzed was for a three-year period between July 2021 and June 2024. For the purposes of this analysis, AirDNAs definition of a STR, “a property intended for shorter stays, often less than 30 days”, was used.
Per AirDNA, Hancock County is divided into 13 different “submarkets”. In some cases these inlcude only one or two municipalities, in others these included a larger grouping. The map below distinguishes the names boundaries of each submarket. Data such as listings by bedroom size and availability, the number of active listings per month, occupancy percentage by month and more was collected for each submarket. Click on a submarket in the table below to access submarket-specific information during this three-year period.
Access short-term rental data between July 2021 and June 2024 by submarket: