City · Aroostook County, Maine

Caribou, Maine

Caribou is a city in Aroostook County, Maine. It has 7,382 residents. Caribou, Maine has a quality-of-life score of 54 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,227 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Maine it ranks #66 of 104 cities and towns. It ranks best on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low), grocery stores (high) and high school diploma or higher (high). It ranks worst on comfortable days (low), distance to an airport (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).

54Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,227 of 15,651 cities and towns
Maine: #66 of 104 in ME
Population: 7,382 (2020-2024)
Land area: 79 mi²
Density: 93.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 2310565

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety80#3,186/15,637
Economy22#12,202/15,631
Housing62#5,661/14,977
Health17#12,997/15,609
Healthcare66#5,388/15,650
Environment92#1,244/15,453
Education74#4,109/15,649
Infrastructure21#12,419/15,650
Community40#9,316/15,651
Leisure & amenities51#7,678/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Caribou, Maine ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Aroostook County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.3 µg/m³
99/100Maine 4.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAroostook County value
Grocery stores · high3.9 /10k
98/100Maine 2.3 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAroostook County value
High school diploma or higher · high91.2%
97/100Maine 94.8%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Average commute time · low14.7 min
97/100Maine 24.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Pharmacies · high3.0 /10k
96/100Maine 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAroostook County value
Mental health providers · high674 /100k
96/100Maine 586 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAroostook County value

Weaknesses

Comfortable days · low19.0%
0/100Maine 21.2%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAroostook County value
Distance to an airport · high238 mi
0/100Maine 62 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAroostook County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high214 mi
2/100Maine 46 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAroostook County value
New business applications · low7.6 /1k
5/100Maine 10.0 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAroostook County value
Drug overdose deaths · high35.6 /100k
5/100Maine 24.7 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataAroostook County value
Job growth · low-2.7%
8/100Maine -0.5%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataAroostook County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
67.7% (2015-2019) → 82.9% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
21.1% (2015-2019) → 11.9% (2020-2024)
−9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
19.6% (2015-2019) → 28.8% (2020-2024)
+9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$42,671 (2015-2019) → $53,709 (2020-2024)
+26%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
10.0% (2015-2019) → 5.8% (2020-2024)
−4.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
High school diploma or higherImproving
87.7% (2015-2019) → 91.2% (2020-2024)
+3.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Caribou, Maine improved on 4 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Bachelor's++9.2 points19.6% → 28.8%
Uninsured−4.3 points10.0% → 5.8%
Broadband+15 points67.7% → 82.9%
Household income+26%$42,671 → $53,709

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Caribou, Maine between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.0 min2015-2019	14.7 min2020-2024	−2.3 min	Within the margin of error	73%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.6%2015-2019	28.8%2020-2024	+9.2 points	Improved	88%
Broadband subscriptions	67.7%2015-2019	82.9%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	80%
Child poverty rate	21.1%2015-2019	11.9%2020-2024	−9.2 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Effective property tax rate	1.69%2015-2019	1.35%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	79%
High school diploma or higher	87.7%2015-2019	91.2%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Home price to income ratio	2.1×2015-2019	2.5×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	56%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4622015-2019	0.4782020-2024	+0.016	Within the margin of error	36%
Median household income	$42,6712015-2019	$53,7092020-2024	+26%	Improved	46%
Poverty rate	16.5%2015-2019	15.5%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Rent as share of income	29.1%2015-2019	28.8%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	58%
Rent-burdened households	47.4%2015-2019	45.3%2020-2024	−2.1 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.0%2015-2019	5.8%2020-2024	−4.3 points	Improved	83%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Caribou, Maine five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Caribou, Maine in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Caribou, Maine itself moved +4.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

7,382 residents (±28)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

3,542 households (±209)

Caribou, Maine
Maine share

Under $25k24%860
$25k–50k23%823
$50k–75k16%569

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

3,542 households (±209)

Caribou, Maine
Maine share

Own72%2,560
Rent28%982

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

3,178 workers (±344)

Caribou, Maine
Maine share

Drive alone72%2,289
Carpool10%†318
Public transit0.0%0

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Aroostook County, the county holding most of Caribou's residents.

Aroostook County has 1,903 employer establishments, 283 for every 10,000 residents (1.14× the US rate of 248; 0.91× Maine's), with 19,837 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,847. The Census Bureau also counts 4,190 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,903; 4,190 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 283; US 248 · Maine 309
Paid employees: 19,837
Average annual pay: $47,847; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Aroostook County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Truck transportation	120	17.8	3.52×More than typical	657	$51,501	115
Specialty trade contractors	118	17.5	1.13×About typical	529	$63,940	459
Ambulatory health care services	116	17.2	0.83×About typical	1,295	$55,003	153
Restaurants and other eating places	107	15.9	0.87×About typical	1,247	$19,933	16
Gasoline stations	60	8.9	2.75×More than typical	565	$25,901	—
Construction of buildings	59	8.8	1.16×About typical	171	$42,263	190
Automotive repair and maintenance	56	8.3	1.65×More than typical	229	$36,192	112
Lessors of real estate	56	8.3	0.68×Fewer than typical	195	$33,462	344
Full-service restaurants	54	8	1.04×About typical	626	$19,091	3
Banks and credit unions	46	6.8	2.11×More than typical	502	$55,552	—
Religious organizations	45	6.7	1.20×About typical	135	$18,748	—
Other specialty trade contractors	44	6.5	2.60×More than typical	183	$71,115	117

Rank places for an industry Open Aroostook County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 67,330 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $214.5K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Caribou, Maine: $29.05 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $214.5K; −53% vs FY2025
Per resident: $29.05; US $1,994
Sole-source: 49%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$106.5K50%
Department of the Army$100.3K47%
Federal Aviation Administration$51.5K24%
Public Buildings Service$13.5K6.3%

Top recipients

G2S LLC$100.3K47%
EATON CORPORATION$51.5K24%
KADAJ ALLIANCE L.L.C.$48.6K23%
MECHANICAL SERVICES INC$23K11%
BERNAICHE PROPERTY MAINTENANCE LLC$18.2K8.5%

Spending by fiscal year

162.8KFY2017
359.8KFY2018
991.3KFY2019
1MFY2020
112.3KFY2021
367KFY2022
949.4KFY2023
2.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing · 3359$51.5K24%
Basic chemical manufacturing · 3251$44.6K21%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$43K20%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$37.2K17%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$20.4K9.5%
Facilities support services · 5612

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Caribou, Maine

MAINE LRR BUNDLE- REFURBISHMENT OF THE (QYA & QYD) ARSR BUILDING AND SITES IN BUCKS HARBOR, ME AND CARIBOU, ME IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE APPLICABLE DRAWINGS, SPECIFICATIONS AND CONDITIONS OF THE CONTRACT.$2.8M
RG TENNEY ELECTRIC INC· Aroostook County, ME· Construction & real property· Jan 29, 2024 – Jan 15, 2026· 6973GH24C00045
CONTRACT# 68HE0121D0005 ERRS V CARIBOU POWER PLANT SITE. ISSUANCE OF A NEW TASK ORDER FOR THE CARIBOU POWER PLANT SITE.$2.1M
ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION LLC· Aroostook County, ME· Facilities & utilities· Aug 30, 2023 – Apr 1, 2026· 68HE0123F0042
REMEDIAL ACTION AND LONG-TERM MONITORING AT THE LO-58 FORMER NIKE BATTERY LAUNCH SITE CARIBOU, MAINE$1.4M
G2S LLC· Aroostook County, ME· Facilities & utilities· Jun 30, 2022 – Jun 5, 2026· W912WJ22C0011

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Caribou, Maine, so they do not add up across cities.

Caribou, Maine's figures are part of those of Aroostook County, ME ($102M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.2% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Caribou is mostly in Aroostook County.

See federal money in Aroostook County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Caribou, Maine is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Jared F. GoldenD-ME-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 70%Missed 2.8%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Aroostook County59100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Aroostook County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2310565

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends