Hancock County, Maine

Hancock County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 51,791. Its is. It was incorporated in 1789 and contains 1,522 sq miles. Hancock County was named for John Hancock, the first governor of Massachusetts who was most famous for his signature being the largest on the Declaration of Independence.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 6,089 (2,351 ). 4,112 km² (1,588 sq mi) of it is land and 1,977 km² (763 sq mi) of it (32.47%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

 * - north
 * - northeast
 * - west

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 51,791 people, 21,864 households, and 14,233 families residing in the county. The was 13/km² (33/sq mi). There were 33,945 housing units at an average density of 8/km² (21/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 97.61%, 0.25% or , 0.37% , 0.38% , 0.03% , 0.20% from , and 1.15% from two or more races. 0.65% of the population were or  of any race. 24.6% were of, 16.6% or American, 11.9% , 6.6%  and 6.1%  ancestry according to. 96.8% spoke, 1.5% and 1.0%  as their first language.

There were 21,864 households out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.50% were living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.90% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.30% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 26.80% from 45 to 64, and 16.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,811, and the median income for a family was $43,216. Males had a median income of $30,461 versus $22,647 for females. The for the county was $19,809. About 7.00% of families and 10.20% of the population were below the, including 11.90% of those under age 18 and 9.50% of those age 65 or over.

The 1990 Census counted 46,948, though the 1998 population estimate is 49,932.1 The gender division was 22,996 males, 23,952 females in 1989. Ninety-nine percent of the population was white (46,446), 121 American Indians, 249 Asians, 79 Blacks and 52 "other."

Sixty-six percent of the population of Hancock County are Mainers by birth, 3 percent were born outside the US.

Of the 31,475 persons over 25 years old, 83% (26,214) had a high school degree or higher. Twenty-one percent had a Bachelor’s degree or higher.

Industry
Of employed persons 16 years and over in 1990, 1,108 indicated involvement in the "agriculture, forestry and fisheries" industry, though 1206 indicated "farming, forestry and fishing occupations." The U.S. Census data is not dependable for determining the numbers of individuals involved in the fishing industry. Only firms with 10 or more employees must report their numbers, as well as firms paying workmen’s compensation insurance. Because the majority of fishermen in Maine are considered self-employed, the statistics underreport fishing employment.

Cranberry Isles, Deer Isle, Frenchboro, Gouldsboro, Southwest Harbor, Stonington, Swans Island and Tremont (Bass Harbor) were identified by a key respondent as fisheries dependent. Bar Harbor, Brooklin, Brooksville, Hancock, Lamoine, Mount Desert, Penobscot, Sedgwick, Sorrento and Sullivan were also noted as having either significant fishing activity or a significant number of people who fish. Winter Harbor’s fishing activities were once dwarfed by the economic activity associated with a naval base, but now that the naval base has closed, fishing activity will most likely be the dominant economic activity in the community. is also popular in the area and are exported from the area. One Salmon smoking operation,, exists in Sullivan.

Hancock County has the longest coastline of any Maine county. Commercial fishing and tourism are the county’s most important industries. Hancock County is home to  (the state’s and New England’s only national park) and   (the highest point on the Coast). , noted for cancer research, is located in. Two marine—related colleges are located in Hancock County– at Castine and the  at Bar Harbor.