• In-migration of mature couples now exceeds out-migration of young adults.

• School enrollments county-wide are decreasing at a faster rate than the state as a whole. While some coastal towns are seeing a significant decrease in enrollment, inland towns are seeing rapid increases. For example, Mariaville saw its school-age population increase by 50 percent between 1990 and 2000.

• The median age in Hancock County increased from 35.8 in 1990 to 40.7 in 2000. This trend is likely to continue as the baby boom generation ages.

• While county household incomes remain below the state median, the gap is closing. In 1980, incomes in the county were about 88 percent of the state median. In 2000 there were 96 percent of the state level.

• Retirement incomes are slightly above state levels. The median retirement income for Hancock County is $16,973 compared to $15,211 for the state as a whole.

• While the county has a higher percentage of college graduates than the state as a whole, it also has the highest high school drop-out rates in the state.

• Peak winter unemployment rates have been declining for more than five years.

• There is a significant labor shortage in the summer. This is likely to worsen as the population ages and housing prices increase.

• Most recent gains in employment have been in the service sector.

• Median housing values are 10 percent higher than the state median while household incomes are only 96 percent of state levels.

• In the Stonington-Blue Hill area, household incomes are only 76 percent of the amount necessary to purchase the median priced house. The ratio for the Ellsworth-MDI area is 88 percent and 145 percent for the Bucksport area.

• Individual towns have lower ratios. For example, Southwest Harbor is at 50 percent and Castine 68 percent.

• The lack of affordable housing makes it difficult for employers to recruit and retain employees.

Roads and Transportation

• Average annual daily traffic on Route 1 in Hancock and Route 3 in Trenton has doubled in roughly 20 years.

• Average commuting times have increased by 24.4 percent (from 18 minutes to 22.4 minutes). This is a higher rate of increase than the state as a whole, but commuting times in Hancock County are slightly below the state average. The increase is due at least in part to longer commuting times due to traffic congestion and the lack of affordable housing near jobs.

• Traffic congestion is slowing delivery times for trucking firms. Businesses dependent on tourism may find it harder to attract customers if people are wary of exiting and entering roads due to heavy traffic.

• Traffic flows on major roads is projected to increase meaning that there will be even more congestion in the future.

• Ridership on the Island Explorer bus system has far exceeded expectations.

• There are concerns about improving access to Bangor and southern Maine.

• Local governments faced increased expenses in providing services while the state fiscal crisis limits how much state aid is available.

• The shifts in population mean that school expansions are necessary in the inland communities while coastal towns have excess capacity in their schools.

• The aging of the population will mean increased demands on the health care system.

• The higher incidence of two wage earner families and longer commuting times mean that people are away from their town of residence more than in the past. This makes it harder to find volunteers to serve on fire departments and other town government positions. There may be more dependence on paid personnel in the future, further increasing the cost of local government.

• The state is less inclined to pay for the costs of duplicative facilities in different towns. This means that Hancock County towns need to find new ways to share services.