Housing data for Caribou, ME
Caribou, ME has an estimated 7,382 residents and 3,931 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Aroostook County.
27.7% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $757 a month.
Its population shrank measurably since 2015–2019 (−4.3%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 7,382 (±28)
- Housing units
- 3,931 (±215)
- Households that rent
- 27.7%
- Median gross rent
- $757
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −4.3%
What stands out in Caribou
Households that moved in since 2020: 14.5% (±4.1 points) in Caribou, lower than in Aroostook County (19.3%).
Average commute: 14.7 minutes (±2.2) in Caribou, lower than in Aroostook County (18.3 minutes).
Homes built before 1980: 74.2% (±8.7 points) in Caribou, higher than in Aroostook County (63.0%).
Homes heated by fuel oil: 77.2% (±4.1 points) in Caribou, higher than in Aroostook County (67.8%).
- How long people stay in Caribou
- Commute and cars in Caribou
- Age of homes in Caribou
- Heating fuel in Caribou
Housing in Caribou at a glance
- Median rent: $757 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $846 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 45.3% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 27.7% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $53,709 median household income
- Home values: $134,100 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,148 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,680 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 7.3% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 59.2% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 74.2% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 11.1% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 77.2% heat with fuel oil or kerosene
- Commute and cars: 14.7 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: −4.3% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 14.5% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 1.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Caribou against Aroostook County, its state and the nation
| Caribou | Aroostook County | Maine | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 7,382 (±28) | 67,058 (exact) | 1,387,817 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 3,931 (±215) | 38,450 (±135) | 751,876 (±671) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 27.7% (±5.0 points) | 25.5% (±1.5 points) | 25.7% (±0.4 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $757 (±$143) | $784 (±$37) | $1,139 (±$13) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $53,709 (±$9,143) | $56,700 (±$1,809) | $74,733 (±$795) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $134,100 (±$31,044) | $149,700 (±$6,059) | $296,600 (±$2,876) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,680 (±$235) | $1,672 (±$44) | $3,036 (±$26) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 74.2% (±8.7 points) | 63.0% (±2.3 points) | 54.5% (±0.6 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 14.7 minutes (±2.2) | 18.3 minutes (±0.7) | 24.6 minutes (±0.3) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 82.9% (±5.2 points) | 84.3% (±1.5 points) | 90.3% (±0.3 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 51.3 years (±1.7) | 48.3 years (±0.3) | 44.8 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Caribou covers 79.3 square miles of land, about 93 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Caribou has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 7,710 (±59) | 7,382 (±28) | −4.3% | Measurable decrease |
| Housing units | 4,048 (±206) | 3,931 (±215) | −2.9% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $598 (±$52) | $757 (±$143) | +26.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $90,700 (±$5,752) | $134,100 (±$31,044) | +47.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $42,671 (±$5,885) | $53,709 (±$9,143) | +25.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $868 (±$53) | $1,148 (±$101) | +32.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,658 (±$104) | $1,680 (±$235) | +1.3% | Down after inflation |
| Households that rent | 34.3% (±4.8 points) | 27.7% (±5.0 points) | −6.6 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 12.8% (±7.2 points) | 11.1% (±7.6 points) | −1.7 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Aroostook County
Caribou has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Aroostook County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Aroostook County recorded 69 violent and 625 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Caribou
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04736 | 50% | 9,025 | $757 | $139,000 | $54,368 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Caribou
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Fairfield | 5.5 mi | $945 | $161,000 | 21.8% |
| Limestone | 6.0 mi | $754 | $98,400 | 38.8% |
| Fort Fairfield (community) | 6.9 mi | $453 | $158,300 | 20.7% |
| Limestone (community) | 7.2 mi | $605 | $97,100 | 36.3% |
| Washburn | 8.8 mi | $482 | $112,900 | 21.8% |
| Woodland | 9.3 mi | — | $150,300 | 1.7% |
| Presque Isle | 11 mi | $904 | $147,200 | 42.2% |
| Mapleton | 12 mi | $610 | $191,800 | 20.1% |
Places in Maine most like Caribou
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calais | $1,010 | $111,100 | $64,096 | 26.6% |
| Baileyville | $873 | $112,100 | $60,000 | 16.3% |
| Fort Kent (community) | $901 | $152,900 | $50,513 | 34.2% |
| Pittsfield (community) | $909 | $162,100 | $61,458 | 27.2% |
| Houlton | $785 | $137,000 | $61,058 | 36.2% |
| Dover-Foxcroft (community) | $909 | $158,800 | $56,250 | 42.1% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Maine.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Caribou, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $892 | $898 | $1,175 | $1,581 | $1,642 |
HUD income limits for Caribou, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $19,300 | $32,200 | $51,450 |
| 2 people | $22,050 | $36,800 | $58,800 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $41,400 | $66,150 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $45,950 | $73,500 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $49,650 | $79,400 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $53,350 | $85,300 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $57,000 | $91,150 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $60,700 | $97,050 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Aroostook County, ME, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $73,800.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Caribou
What is the average rent in Caribou, ME?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Caribou is $757 (±$143) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Caribou?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Caribou, ME is $478 (±$248) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Caribou rent-burdened?
45.3% of renting households in Caribou pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Caribou?
Caribou has an estimated 982 (±173) renting households, 27.7% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Caribou?
The median household income in Caribou is $53,709 (±$9,143) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Caribou, ME?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $134,100 (±$31,044) for owner-occupied homes in Caribou (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Caribou growing?
In Caribou, the number of residents went from 7,710 in 2015–2019 to 7,382 in 2020–2024 (−4.3%), a measurable decrease.
What ZIP codes are in Caribou?
The ZIP code that covers Caribou is 04736.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 04736?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 04736 is $757 (±$139) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Caribou city, Maine
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Caribou city, Maine
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Caribou city, Maine
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Caribou city, Maine
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Caribou city, Maine
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Caribou city, Maine
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Caribou city, Maine
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Aroostook County, ME
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Aroostook County, ME
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Caribou city, Maine (place:10565, in state:23).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .