Costa Rican Population in Maine by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Costa Rican population in Maine totals 405. Cumberland County contains the largest Costa Rican community with 282 residents, followed by Franklin County (44), Androscoggin County (41), and others contributing to this statewide total. This demographic analysis ranks all counties in Maine by their Costa Rican populations, offering insights into local community distribution and broader settlement trends.

Top 5 counties with the largest Costa Rican population in Maine

  • 1
    Cumberland County
    Costa Rican population in Cumberland County is 282
    0.09% of Cumberland County population is Costa Rican
  • 2
    Franklin County
    Costa Rican population in Franklin County is 44
    0.15% of Franklin County population is Costa Rican
  • 3
    Androscoggin County
    Costa Rican population in Androscoggin County is 41
    0.04% of Androscoggin County population is Costa Rican
  • 4
    Kennebec County
    Costa Rican population in Kennebec County is 15
    0.01% of Kennebec County population is Costa Rican
  • 5
    Penobscot County
    Costa Rican population in Penobscot County is 14
    0.01% of Penobscot County population is Costa Rican

Overview of Costa Rican population in Maine

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate Maine contains 405 Costa Rican residents (0.029% of 1.4 million total state population), positioning the state at the 20th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Costa Rican population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show Maine's Costa Rican demographic representation of 0.029% remains below the national average of 0.055%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Maine contains 405 Costa Rican residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total Costa Rican population of 181,635, constituting a minimal fraction of the national demographic community relative to the state's overall population size.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Maine's density of 0.013 Costa Rican Americans per square mile remains below the national average of 0.051 per square mile, indicating relatively sparse distribution compared to national demographic concentrations.
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16 Counties in Maine Ranked by Costa Rican Population

American Community Survey data [1] show Costa Rican population in Maine distributed across multiple counties, led by Cumberland County, Franklin County, Androscoggin County, and Kennebec County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as Americans of at least partial Costa Rican descent. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in Maine ranked by Costa Rican population count
Rank by Costa Rican Population
County
Costa Rican Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Maine Costa Rican Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Cumberland County 282 0.09% 69.63%
2 Franklin County 44 0.15% 10.86%
3 Androscoggin County 41 0.04% 10.12%
4 Kennebec County 15 0.01% 3.70%
5 Penobscot County 14 0.01% 3.46%
6 Waldo County 6 0.02% 1.48%
7 Knox County 3 0.01% 0.74%
8 0 - -
8 0 - -
8 0 - -
8 0 - -
8 0 - -
8 0 - -
8 0 - -
8 0 - -
8 0 - -
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks county in Maine by their Costa Rican population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Costa Rican population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Costa Rican ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Costa Rican alone, while others identify as Costa Rican along with another race (such as Costa Rican and German).
  • We’ve used the “Costa Rican alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Costa Rican population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Costa Rican alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Costa Rican .
  2. % of Total Maine Costa Rican Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Costa Rican population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Costa Rican populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • County that don’t have any reported Costa Rican population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Costa Rican populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.