Percentage of non whites vs white population in maine
Executive summary
Maine’s population is overwhelmingly White: most authoritative recent estimates place “White” residents at roughly 90–92% of the state’s population, which implies that non-White residents make up about 8–10% of Maine’s population (see multiple data sources) [1] [2] [3]. Differences in reported percentages reflect whether sources count “White alone,” “White alone, not Hispanic,” or use varied years and Census/ACS estimations, and those definitional choices materially affect the exact non‑White share [4].
1. The headline numbers — what the data say
Using U.S. Census-derived estimates reported across public trackers, Maine’s White population is commonly reported near 90–92%: for example, Statista (citing the Census) shows 90.1% White in 2023 [1], World Population Review and other aggregators list roughly 91.3% White [2] and Neilsberg gives a similar 91.34% figure for White overall [5], while Data USA reports 90.6% White (non‑Hispanic) in 2023 [3]; subtracting those White shares leaves a non‑White population in the neighborhood of 8–10% depending on the metric used [1] [2] [3].
2. Why reported percentages differ — definitions and data sources
Discrepancies arise because sources use different Census products (decennial counts, annual Population Estimates Program, or the ACS 5‑year estimates) and different race/ethnicity groupings: “White alone” vs. “White alone, not Hispanic,” whether Hispanic residents are treated as an ethnicity separate from race, and how multiracial responses are allocated all change the percentages [4]. USAFacts and the Census note that classification changes and the growth of the “two or more races” category since 2000 compress the single‑race totals, so comparisons across years or across sources without matching definitions can mislead [4].
3. The composition of the non‑White population
The non‑White share is small and split among a number of groups: Black residents are typically reported around 1.6–1.9%, Hispanic/Latino residents about 2.0–2.2%, Asians roughly 1.1–1.2%, Native American/Alaska Native and other categories under 1% each, and those identifying as two or more races ranging from about 3–6% depending on the dataset [1] [6] [3]. The AP and local reporting tracking 2020–2023 redistricting and population releases documented slow diversification — modest gains for Black and Hispanic populations but Maine remaining the nation’s whitest state by share [7] [8].
4. Context and caveats — what these percentages mean on the ground
Percent‑share metrics compress complexity: a state can be “90% White” yet be experiencing faster relative growth among smaller racial and ethnic groups, and migration patterns concentrate diversity in southern coastal counties while much of rural northern Maine remains less diverse [6] [9]. The state’s small total population amplifies year‑to‑year percentage swings for small groups, and the Census Bureau’s methodological notes warn that changes in race reporting and the growth of multiracial identification affect historical comparisons [4].
5. Bottom line and sources’ implicit agendas
The bottom line: depending on the specific definition used, Maine’s White population is about 90–92% of the state, leaving roughly 8–10% non‑White; authoritative sources include U.S. Census outputs aggregated via Statista, Data USA, WorldPopulationReview, USAFacts and state economist dashboards [1] [3] [2] [4] [9]. Readers should note that private aggregators may emphasize single point estimates (91.34% or 90.2%) that downplay methodological nuances; the Census and state data portals provide the underlying categories and are the best place to inspect the exact definitions used [10] [9].