What percentage of people rent in Scarborough, ME?

Name: Renters and owners in Scarborough, ME, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

22.6% (±4.3 points) of the occupied homes in Scarborough, ME are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 2,255 renting households against 7,717 that own their home.

In Scarborough, the share of households that rent went from 17.6% in 2015–2019 to 22.6% in 2020–2024 (+5.0 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 22.6% (±4.3 points)
Renting households: 2,255 (±466)
Median renter income: $80,736 (±$32,958)

Who rents and who owns in Scarborough

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Scarborough	Cumberland County	Maine	United States
Renter-occupied share	22.6% (±4.3 points)	30.2% (±0.9 points)	25.7% (±0.4 points)	34.8%
Renting households	2,255 (±466)	39,903 (±1,289)	153,586 (±2,467)	45,017,354
Owning households	7,717 (±414)	92,265 (±1,318)	443,573 (±3,445)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	1.7 (±0.2)	1.9 (±0.0)	1.9 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.5 (±0.1)	2.4 (±0.0)	2.4 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$80,736 (±$32,958)	$59,461 (±$1,974)	$44,257 (±$1,278)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$141,489 (±$8,628)	$115,022 (±$2,572)	$88,635 (±$995)	$100,009

In Scarborough, the renter share is lower than in Cumberland County (30.2%).

It is not measurably different from Maine (25.7%).

It is lower than the national figure (34.8%).

In Cumberland County, Scarborough ranks 6 of 28 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 96 of 482.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Scarborough has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	17.6% (±3.1 points)	22.6% (±4.3 points)	+5.0 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,206 (±$126)	$1,956 (±$178)	+62.2%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$94,905 (±$8,345)	$133,558 (±$20,837)	+40.7%	No measurable change after inflation

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.

Households that rent in places near Scarborough

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Scarborough
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Scarborough	—	22.6% (±4.3 points)	—
Old Orchard Beach (community)	2.8 mi	31.8% (±6.3 points)	Higher
Old Orchard Beach	2.8 mi	31.8% (±6.3 points)	Higher
South Portland	4.8 mi	41.9% (±3.1 points)	Higher
Saco	5.2 mi	27.2% (±3.8 points)	Not measurably different
Cape Elizabeth	6.5 mi	12.0% (±4.2 points)	Lower
Portland	8.6 mi	53.1% (±1.9 points)	Higher
Westbrook	9.5 mi	38.8% (±4.4 points)	Higher
Biddeford	9.6 mi	51.9% (±4.1 points)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Cape Elizabeth, ME (12.0%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Old Orchard Beach (community), ME (31.8%), Old Orchard Beach, ME (31.8%), South Portland, ME (41.9%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Cumberland County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Portland	53.1% (±1.9 points)
2	South Portland	41.9% (±3.1 points)
3	Westbrook	38.8% (±4.4 points)
4	Chebeague Island	29.4% (±15.7 points)
5	Brunswick	28.8% (±3.3 points)
6	Scarborough	22.6% (±4.3 points)
7	Freeport	22.4% (±6.6 points)
8	Yarmouth	19.6% (±4.7 points)
9	Gorham	18.5% (±5.0 points)
10	Gray	17.6% (±7.1 points)
11	Bridgton	17.2% (±6.5 points)
12	New Gloucester	17.1% (±8.4 points)

Showing 12 of 28 places in Cumberland County, ranked from highest to lowest.

The figures for Scarborough include the places inside it that have pages of their own: Dunstan, Oak Hill.

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 Scarborough

How many renters are there in Scarborough?

Scarborough has an estimated 2,255 (±466) renting households, 22.6% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Scarborough?

In Scarborough, the share of households that rent went from 17.6% in 2015–2019 to 22.6% in 2020–2024 (+5.0 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Scarborough?

A renting household in Scarborough has 1.7 people on average, against 2.5 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Scarborough?

The median renting household in Scarborough, ME has an income of $80,736 (±$32,958) a year, against $141,489 for households that own their home.

Sources

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) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Scarborough town, Cumberland County, Maine (county subdivision:66145, in state:23 county:005).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

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.