What is the median household income in Southwest Harbor, ME?

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

The median household income in Southwest Harbor, ME is $59,205 (±$21,446) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Paying the median gross rent of $959 a month would take about $38,400 a year at the common guideline of spending no more than 30% of income on rent.

In Southwest Harbor, the median household income went from $56,017 in 2015–2019 to $59,205 in 2020–2024 (+5.7%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median household income: $59,205 (±$21,446)
Median renter income: $37,593 (±$8,895)
Income to afford median rent: about $38,400

Income in Southwest Harbor against Hancock County, its state and the nation

Income, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Southwest Harbor	Hancock County	Maine	United States
Median household income	$59,205 (±$21,446)	$72,744 (±$3,276)	$74,733 (±$795)	$80,734
Median renter household income	$37,593 (±$8,895)	$40,571 (±$5,495)	$44,257 (±$1,278)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$101,424 (±$26,116)	$83,521 (±$3,918)	$88,635 (±$995)	$100,009
Median gross rent	$959 (±$50)	$1,061 (±$71)	$1,139 (±$13)	$1,413

In Southwest Harbor, median household income is not measurably different from Hancock County ($72,744).

It is not measurably different from Maine ($74,733).

It is lower than the national figure ($80,734).

In Hancock County, Southwest Harbor ranks 33 of 36 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median household income.

Statewide, it ranks 332 of 468.

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

How much you need to earn to rent in Southwest Harbor

Many landlords and housing programs use 30% of gross income as the most a household should spend on rent.

At that guideline, the median gross rent of $959 a month ($11,508 a year) needs an income of about $38,400 a year.

The median renting household in Southwest Harbor earns $37,593 a year, less than that.

This is arithmetic on the published medians, not a rule any landlord must follow; screening criteria vary and some places limit how income may be weighed.

Income against housing costs since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median household income	$56,017 (±$6,805)	$59,205 (±$21,446)	+5.7%	No measurable change after inflation
Median gross rent	$525 (±$373)	$959 (±$50)	+82.7%	No measurable change after inflation
Median home value	$292,100 (±$38,625)	$428,500 (±$35,387)	+46.7%	Up 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.

Median household income in places near Southwest Harbor

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Southwest Harbor
Place	Distance	Median household income	Compared with this place
Southwest Harbor	—	$59,205 (±$21,446)	—
Cranberry Isles	4.3 mi	$65,000 (±$37,485)	Not measurably different
Mount Desert	5.3 mi	$92,813 (±$9,462)	Higher
Tremont	7.2 mi	$88,803 (±$8,456)	Higher
Frenchboro	8.1 mi	$42,250 (±$36,666)	Not measurably different
Bar Harbor (community)	9.9 mi	$67,701 (±$16,822)	Not measurably different
Bar Harbor	10.0 mi	$77,180 (±$26,183)	Not measurably different
Winter Harbor	11 mi	$86,250 (±$38,480)	Not measurably different
Swans Island	11 mi	$86,250 (±$13,009)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Mount Desert, ME ($92,813), Tremont, ME ($88,803), Swans Island, ME ($86,250).

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

Median household income across Hancock County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median household income
27	Deer Isle	$62,284 (±$15,363)
28	Verona Island	$61,607 (±$29,927)
29	Gouldsboro	$60,873 (±$7,216)
30	Trenton	$60,455 (±$12,546)
31	Stonington	$60,223 (±$15,504)
32	Sullivan	$59,643 (±$13,629)
33	Southwest Harbor	$59,205 (±$21,446)
34	Brooksville	$56,316 (±$19,950)
35	Frenchboro	$42,250 (±$36,666)
36	Great Pond	$22,292 (±$20,585)

Showing 10 of 36 places in Hancock County, ranked from highest to lowest.

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 Southwest Harbor

What is the median household income in Southwest Harbor?

The median household income in Southwest Harbor is $59,205 (±$21,446) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How much do you need to make to afford rent in Southwest Harbor?

About $38,400 a year, if rent is to stay at or below 30% of income at the median gross rent of $959 a month.

Have incomes in Southwest Harbor kept up with inflation?

In Southwest Harbor, the median household income went from $56,017 in 2015–2019 to $59,205 in 2020–2024 (+5.7%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

What do renters earn in Southwest Harbor?

The median renting household in Southwest Harbor, ME earns $37,593 (±$8,895) a year.

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 Southwest Harbor town, Hancock County, Maine (county subdivision:72865, in state:23 county:009).

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

The 2015–2019 figures are B19013_001E, B19013_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B25077_001E, B25077_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M

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.