County outline
Where Penobscot County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 95.5% of Penobscot County’s measured area and water for 4.5%. Its combined area converts to 9,212.7 square kilometers or approximately 2,276,504 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 3,397.044 | 8,798.304 | 2,174,108.2 |
| Water | 159.993 | 414.38 | 102,395.5 |
| Total | 3,557.037 | 9,212.684 | 2,276,503.7 |
How Penobscot County compares
By original Census land area, Penobscot County ranks #4 of 16 in Maine and #147 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 2.635 times the Maine county-equivalent median of 1,289.2 square miles. It accounts for 11% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Maine ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Penobscot County
The Census Bureau estimates that 157,967 people lived in Penobscot County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #448 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #3 of 16 in Maine. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 152,198, the population has grown by 5,769 (+3.8%), compared with +3.8% for Maine as a whole.
With 3,397 square miles of land, that is 47 people per square mile (18 per km²), placing Penobscot County #1,622 nationally for density and #9 in Maine. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Maine median is 51. Put another way, there are about 14 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 152,174 | 153,367 | 154,948 | 156,839 | 157,283 | 157,967 |
| Change | — | +1,193 | +1,581 | +1,891 | +444 | +684 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Penobscot County
Penobscot County is divided into 67 cities and towns. In Maine, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Bangor city, with 32,518 residents (20.6% of the county). The largest by land is North Penobscot UT, at 1,051.7 mi², or 31% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Levant town grew fastest since then (+12%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangor cityCounty seat | 32,518 | +2.4% | 34.3 | 1% |
| Orono town | 12,421 | +11% | 18.2 | 0.5% |
| Brewer city | 9,636 | −0.5% | 15.2 | 0.4% |
| Hampden town | 8,078 | +4.8% | 37.9 | 1.1% |
| Old Town city | 7,589 | +2.1% | 38.8 | 1.1% |
| Hermon town | 6,982 | +7.9% | 35.9 | 1.1% |
| Lincoln town | 4,971 | +2.4% | 67.8 | 2% |
| Glenburn town | 4,825 | +4% | 27.2 | 0.8% |
| Millinocket town | 4,095 | −0.2% | 15.9 | 0.5% |
| Orrington town | 3,912 | +2.6% | 25 | 0.7% |
| Dexter town | 3,874 | +1.7% | 35.1 | 1% |
| Holden town | 3,438 | +4.9% | 31.3 | 0.9% |
| Levant town | 3,289 | +12% | 30.1 | 0.9% |
| Newport town | 3,192 | +1.9% | 29.5 | 0.9% |
| Corinth town | 3,139 | +8.4% | 40.3 | 1.2% |
Show the other 52 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milford town | 3,117 | +1.5% | 45.6 |
| Carmel town | 3,031 | +5.8% | 36.7 |
| Corinna town | 2,261 | +2.3% | 38.7 |
| Eddington town | 2,254 | +3.3% | 25 |
| Veazie town | 1,864 | +2.6% | 3.025 |
| Newburgh town | 1,735 | +8.3% | 31 |
| Charleston town | 1,644 | +5.9% | 40.6 |
| Bradley town | 1,581 | +3.1% | 49.5 |
| East Millinocket town | 1,567 | −0.3% | 7.095 |
| Greenbush town | 1,531 | +6% | 43.8 |
| Hudson town | 1,483 | +4.5% | 37.6 |
| Enfield town | 1,444 | +0.9% | 27.7 |
| Kenduskeag town | 1,418 | +5.7% | 16.8 |
| Plymouth town | 1,328 | +0.2% | 29.7 |
| Bradford town | 1,247 | +5.5% | 41.2 |
| Etna town | 1,245 | +1.4% | 24.7 |
| Stetson town | 1,243 | +4.6% | 35 |
| Dixmont town | 1,215 | +0.5% | 36.3 |
| Medway town | 1,197 | +0.9% | 41 |
| Howland town | 1,166 | +6% | 34.9 |
| Garland town | 1,039 | +1.9% | 37.7 |
| Exeter town | 1,002 | +4% | 38.6 |
| Lee town | 923 | +0.5% | 38.7 |
| Patten town | 900 | +1.9% | 38.2 |
| Clifton town | 875 | +3.4% | 34.5 |
| Alton town | 842 | +1.6% | 42.3 |
| Lagrange town | 647 | +1.7% | 49.5 |
| Mattawamkeag town | 607 | +2.2% | 37.7 |
| Chester town | 553 | +0.9% | 45.8 |
| Burlington town | 450 | +18.7% | 54 |
| North Penobscot UT | 419 | +0.7% | 1,051.7 |
| Winn town | 405 | +1.8% | 43.7 |
| Springfield town | 390 | +31.3% | 38.5 |
| Lowell town | 388 | +5.7% | 38.3 |
| Penobscot Indian Island Reservation | 377 | +1.6% | 7.562 |
| Stacyville town | 375 | +0.3% | 39.5 |
| Passadumkeag town | 349 | +0.9% | 22.9 |
| East Central Penobscot UT | 312 | +1.3% | 114.5 |
| Argyle UT | 259 | +0.4% | 26.6 |
| Woodville town | 204 | +0.5% | 42.7 |
| Mount Chase town | 190 | +0.5% | 36.6 |
| Prentiss UT | 174 | +1.8% | 38.2 |
| Carroll plantation | 140 | +1.4% | 44 |
| Kingman UT | 140 | +1.4% | 25 |
| Edinburg town | 136 | +1.5% | 35 |
| Lakeville town | 105 | +1% | 58.2 |
| Maxfield town | 99 | +22.2% | 18.9 |
| Webster plantation | 64 | +1.6% | 36.6 |
| Seboeis plantation | 39 | 0% | 40 |
| Drew UT | 26 | 0% | 38 |
| Whitney UT | 8 | 0% | 10.9 |
| Twombly Ridge UT | 0 | — | 44 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Penobscot County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Penobscot County is a central county of the Bangor, ME Metropolitan Statistical Area. Penobscot County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the metro area has the same 3,397 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #87 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #280 by population.
ZIP codes
47 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Penobscot County; 41 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
0440104410044110441204417044180441904422044270442804429044300443404435044440444804449044500445104453044550445604457044590446004461044620446804469044730447404475044870448804489044930449504497047330476504777049280493004932049390495304969
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Penobscot County
Penobscot County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 3 of them. The largest neighbor is Aroostook County (6,671.2 mi²) and the smallest is Waldo County (730.2 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Penobscot County forms a block of 22,833.5 mi² of land, of which it holds 14.9%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Penobscot | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aroostook County | 6,671.2 | 2× larger | Compare |
| Piscataquis County | 3,960.8 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Somerset County | 3,924.3 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Washington County | 2,562.7 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Hancock County | 1,587.2 | 2.1× smaller | Compare |
| Waldo County | 730.2 | 4.7× smaller | Compare |
How big is Penobscot County compared with U.S. states?
Penobscot County has more land than 2 of the 50 states. It is about 1.7 times the land area of Delaware (1,948.6 mi²), while Connecticut, the next larger state, has 1.4 times as much land (4,842.5 mi²). Maine’s county land could hold about 9.1 areas the size of Penobscot County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 58.3 miles (93.8 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Penobscot County?
Penobscot County has more land than 3,075 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Penobscot County at #153 nationally by total area, 6 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 4.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 3.3 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Penobscot County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #146 | Hidalgo County, New Mexico | 3,438.6 | Compare |
| #147 | Penobscot County, Maine | 3,397 | This county |
| #148 | Juab County, Utah | 3,391.8 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 45.410987, -68.667635. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 8,798,303,530 m²; AWATER: 414,379,042 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Penobscot County?
Penobscot County, Maine has 3,397 square miles (8,798.3 km²) of land and 160 square miles of water, for a total area of 3,557 square miles. It ranks #147 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Penobscot County the largest county in Maine?
No. Penobscot County ranks #4 of 16 in Maine by land area. The largest is Aroostook County, with 6,671.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Penobscot County?
Penobscot County shares a land border with Piscataquis County, Aroostook County, Hancock County, Washington County, Waldo County, and Somerset County.
What is the population of Penobscot County?
The Census Bureau estimates Penobscot County had 157,967 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #448 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 47 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Penobscot County?
The county seat of Penobscot County is Bangor.
What cities and towns are in Penobscot County?
Penobscot County has 67 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Bangor city, Orono town, Brewer city, Hampden town, and Old Town city.
Is Penobscot County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Bangor, ME Metropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Penobscot County?
47 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Penobscot County, and 41 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Penobscot County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 2 of the 50 states, including Delaware (1,948.6 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Penobscot County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 2,174,108 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 2,276,504 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.