What percentage of people rent in Southwest Harbor, ME?

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

44.3% (±9.8 points) of the occupied homes in Southwest Harbor, ME are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 324 renting households against 407 that own their home.

In Southwest Harbor, the share of households that rent went from 32.4% in 2015–2019 to 44.3% in 2020–2024 (+11.9 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 44.3% (±9.8 points)
Renting households: 324 (±97)
Median renter income: $37,593 (±$8,895)

Who rents and who owns in Southwest Harbor

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Southwest Harbor	Hancock County	Maine	United States
Renter-occupied share	44.3% (±9.8 points)	21.5% (±1.7 points)	25.7% (±0.4 points)	34.8%
Renting households	324 (±97)	5,489 (±486)	153,586 (±2,467)	45,017,354
Owning households	407 (±74)	20,083 (±611)	443,573 (±3,445)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.0 (±0.4)	1.8 (±0.1)	1.9 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.1 (±0.3)	2.2 (±0.1)	2.4 (±0.0)	2.6
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

In Southwest Harbor, the renter share is higher than in Hancock County (21.5%).

It is also higher than in Maine (25.7%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (34.8%).

In Hancock County, Southwest Harbor ranks 1 of 37 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 13 of 482.

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

How renting in Southwest Harbor 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	32.4% (±8.8 points)	44.3% (±9.8 points)	+11.9 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$525 (±$373)	$959 (±$50)	+82.7%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$56,017 (±$6,805)	$59,205 (±$21,446)	+5.7%	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 Southwest Harbor

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Southwest Harbor
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Southwest Harbor	—	44.3% (±9.8 points)	—
Cranberry Isles	4.3 mi	19.0% (±10.9 points)	Lower
Mount Desert	5.3 mi	15.2% (±8.0 points)	Lower
Tremont	7.2 mi	23.7% (±6.8 points)	Lower
Frenchboro	8.1 mi	0.0% (±62.6 points)	Not measurably different
Bar Harbor (community)	9.9 mi	54.3% (±11.2 points)	Not measurably different
Bar Harbor	10.0 mi	25.5% (±6.9 points)	Lower
Winter Harbor	11 mi	19.8% (±10.8 points)	Lower
Swans Island	11 mi	9.0% (±6.2 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Cranberry Isles, ME (19.0%), Mount Desert, ME (15.2%), Tremont, ME (23.7%).

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

Households that rent across Hancock County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Southwest Harbor	44.3% (±9.8 points)
2	Ellsworth	33.3% (±6.2 points)
3	Bucksport	25.7% (±10.4 points)
4	Bar Harbor	25.5% (±6.9 points)
5	Aurora	24.1% (±18.8 points)
6	Tremont	23.7% (±6.8 points)
7	Franklin	23.2% (±10.1 points)

Showing 7 of 37 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

How many renters are there in Southwest Harbor?

Southwest Harbor has an estimated 324 (±97) renting households, 44.3% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Southwest Harbor?

In Southwest Harbor, the share of households that rent went from 32.4% in 2015–2019 to 44.3% in 2020–2024 (+11.9 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Southwest Harbor?

A renting household in Southwest Harbor has 2.0 people on average, against 2.1 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Southwest Harbor?

The median renting household in Southwest Harbor, ME has an income of $37,593 (±$8,895) a year, against $101,424 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 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 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.