Maine’s population hit a record high with more than 1.4 million people last year, according to new census data.
For about two decades, the state’s population hovered around 1.3 million. But in 2024, it rose to nearly 1.4 million. And last year, the population surpassed that total, growing about 0.5% over the previous year.
An analysis of new census data from the Maine State Economist finds much of the population increase is due to net migration, or people moving to Maine from other states. Maine ranked highest in New England and seventh nationally in net migration last year.
International migration slowed in Maine in 2025 and across much of the United States. But domestic migration made up for the decline, with about 7,400 people moving to Maine from other states last year.
At the same time, Maine was one of 17 states in the nation that experienced natural decline, or more deaths than births.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
