Maine county geography overview
Maine has 16 counties, which places it 42nd among the 50 state and District of Columbia maps in this atlas when ordered by number of county-level units. Their combined 30,845.3 square miles of land place the state 39th by mapped land area.
The average county-level area is 1,928 square miles, while the median is 1,289 square miles. The median is often the better description of a typical unit because one or two very large areas can pull the average upward. The five largest units together account for about 67% of the state’s mapped land area.
Largest and smallest Maine counties
Aroostook County is the largest county-level unit by land area at 6,671.2 square miles. It represents about 22% of all mapped land in Maine. At the other end of the range, Sagadahoc County has 254 square miles of land.
Largest by land area
- Aroostook County6,671.2 sq mi
- Piscataquis County3,960.8 sq mi
- Somerset County3,924.3 sq mi
- Penobscot County3,397.2 sq mi
- Washington County2,562.7 sq mi
Smallest by land area
- Sagadahoc County254 sq mi
- Knox County364.9 sq mi
- Lincoln County455.9 sq mi
- Androscoggin County468 sq mi
- Waldo County730.2 sq mi
Rankings use land area rather than total area. This avoids making coastal or lake counties appear larger solely because their boundaries include extensive water.
Alphabetical list of Maine counties
The table is alphabetical, so it works as a name and FIPS-code reference rather than an area ranking. Every identifier begins with the Maine state FIPS prefix 23. Land and water figures are rounded to one decimal place.
16 county-level areas
Download county data / numbered map key (CSV)| No. | Name | FIPS code | Land area | Water area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Androscoggin County | 23001 | 468 sq mi | 29.2 sq mi |
| 2 | Aroostook County | 23003 | 6,671.2 sq mi | 156.3 sq mi |
| 3 | Cumberland County | 23005 | 836.2 sq mi | 381.2 sq mi |
| 4 | Franklin County | 23007 | 1,697 sq mi | 46.8 sq mi |
| 5 | Hancock County | 23009 | 1,587.2 sq mi | 757.7 sq mi |
| 6 | Kennebec County | 23011 | 867.5 sq mi | 83.7 sq mi |
| 7 | Knox County | 23013 | 364.9 sq mi | 767.4 sq mi |
| 8 | Lincoln County | 23015 | 455.9 sq mi | 243.7 sq mi |
| 9 | Oxford County | 23017 | 2,077 sq mi | 98.8 sq mi |
| 10 | Penobscot County | 23019 | 3,397.2 sq mi | 159.9 sq mi |
| 11 | Piscataquis County | 23021 | 3,960.8 sq mi | 417.2 sq mi |
| 12 | Sagadahoc County | 23023 | 254 sq mi | 116.1 sq mi |
| 13 | Somerset County | 23025 | 3,924.3 sq mi | 169.1 sq mi |
| 14 | Waldo County | 23027 | 730.2 sq mi | 134.2 sq mi |
| 15 | Washington County | 23029 | 2,562.7 sq mi | 694.8 sq mi |
| 16 | York County | 23031 | 991.2 sq mi | 278.5 sq mi |
How to read and use this map
County lines are administrative boundaries, not postal routes. A mailing address can use a city name associated with a neighboring area, and ZIP codes can cross county lines. When you need to identify a county for an address, confirm it with an official geocoder or local government source.
For classroom or planning use, download a PDF from the controls above. Labelled exports use numbered callouts for crowded areas; numbered quiz maps match the alphabetical county list. SVG files keep the boundary lines sharp at larger paper sizes.
Frequently asked questions
How many counties are in Maine?
Maine has 16 counties in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2025 cartographic boundary file.
Can I print this Maine county map?
Yes. Choose Download / print and select PDF for a landscape Letter page, PNG for an image, or SVG for editable vector artwork. Because the map is SVG, its boundary lines stay sharp when scaled.
What is the largest county in Maine?
Aroostook County is the largest by land area in this dataset at 6,671.2 square miles. This is an area ranking, not a population ranking.
What is the smallest county in Maine?
Sagadahoc County is the smallest by land area in this dataset at 254 square miles.
Are these legal survey boundaries?
No. This is a generalized reference map. Property, parcel, election, and legal boundary questions should be checked with the relevant state or local agency.
Map source
U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary File, Counties, 1:5,000,000. Land and water area fields are supplied in the same file and converted from square meters to square miles. Accessed September 27, 2026.