List of counties in Maine - wikipedia List of counties in Maine See also : List of United States counties and county - equivalents Counties of Maine Location State of Maine Number 16 Populations 16,931 ( Piscataquis ) -- 289,977 ( Cumberland ) Areas 370 square miles ( 960 km ) ( Sagadahoc ) -- 6,829 square miles ( 17,690 km ) ( Aroostook ) Government County government Subdivisions cities, towns, plantations, unincorporated territories, census designated place, Indian Reservations This is a list of the sixteen counties in the U.S. state of Maine. Before statehood, Maine was officially part of the state of Massachusetts and was called the District of Maine. Maine was granted statehood on March 15, 1820 as part of the Missouri Compromise. Nine of the sixteen counties had their borders defined while Maine was still part of Massachusetts, and hence are older than the state itself. Even after 1820, the exact location of the northern border of Maine was disputed with Britain, until the question was settled and the northern counties signed their final official form, the Webster - Ashburton Treaty, signed in 1842. Almost all of Aroostook County was disputed land until the treaty was signed. The first county to be created was York County, created as York County, Massachusetts by the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1652 to govern territories it claimed in southern Maine. No new counties have been created since 1860, when Knox County and Sagadahoc County were created. The most populous counties tend to be located in the southwestern portion of the state, along the Atlantic seaboard. The largest counties in terms of land area are inland and further north. Maine 's county names come from a mix of British, American, and Native American sources, reflecting Maine 's pre-colonial, colonial, and national heritage. The Federal Information Processing Standard ( FIPS ) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify states and counties, is provided with each entry. Maine 's code is 23, which when combined with any county code would be written as 23XXX. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county. List County FIPS code Seat Established Origin Etymology Population Area Map Androscoggin County 001 Auburn 1854 From parts of Cumberland County, Kennebec County, and Lincoln County The Androscoggin Native American tribe. 7005107233000000000 ♠ 107,233 7002497000000000000 ♠ 497 sq mi ( 7003128700000000000 ♠ 1,287 km ) Aroostook County 003 Houlton 1839 From parts of Penobscot County, and Washington County A Native American word meaning beautiful river. 7004686280000000000 ♠ 68,628 7003682900000000000 ♠ 6,829 sq mi ( 7004176870000000000 ♠ 17,687 km ) Cumberland County 005 Portland 1761 As Cumberland County, Massachusetts from part of York County Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, son of George II of Great Britain. 7005289977000000000 ♠ 289,977 7003121700000000000 ♠ 1,217 sq mi ( 7003315200000000000 ♠ 3,152 km ) Franklin County 007 Farmington 1838 From parts of Kennebec County, Oxford County, and Somerset County Benjamin Franklin, the Founding Father, scientist, printer, and diplomat. 7004299910000000000 ♠ 29,991 7003174400000000000 ♠ 1,744 sq mi ( 7003451700000000000 ♠ 4,517 km ) Hancock County 009 Ellsworth 1790 As Hancock County, Massachusetts, from part of Lincoln County John Hancock ( 1737 -- 1793 ), the Founding Father and president of the convention that produced the United States Declaration of Independence. 7004546590000000000 ♠ 54,659 7003235100000000000 ♠ 2,351 sq mi ( 7003608900000000000 ♠ 6,089 km ) Kennebec County 011 Augusta 1799 As Kennebec County, Massachusetts from part of Lincoln County The Kennebec River in Maine. 7005119980000000000 ♠ 119,980 7002951000000000000 ♠ 951 sq mi ( 7003246300000000000 ♠ 2,463 km ) Knox County 013 Rockland 1860 From parts of Lincoln County and Waldo County Henry Knox ( 1750 -- 1806 ), the first United States Secretary of War ( 1789 - 1794 ), who lived in Thomaston, Maine. 7004398550000000000 ♠ 39,855 7003114200000000000 ♠ 1,142 sq mi ( 7003295800000000000 ♠ 2,958 km ) Lincoln County 015 Wiscasset 1760 As Lincoln County, Massachusetts from part of York County The city of Lincoln, England. 7004339690000000000 ♠ 33,969 7002700000000000000 ♠ 700 sq mi ( 7003181300000000000 ♠ 1,813 km ) Oxford County 017 Paris 1805 As Oxford County, Massachusetts from parts of Cumberland County and York County Probably named for Oxford, Massachusetts. 7004572020000000000 ♠ 57,202 7003217500000000000 ♠ 2,175 sq mi ( 7003563300000000000 ♠ 5,633 km ) Penobscot County 019 Bangor 1816 As Penobscot County, Massachusetts from part of Hancock County The Penobscot Native American tribe. 7005152692000000000 ♠ 152,692 7003355600000000000 ♠ 3,556 sq mi ( 7003921000000000000 ♠ 9,210 km ) Piscataquis County 021 Dover - Foxcroft 1838 From parts of Penobscot County and Somerset County An Abenaki word meaning rapid waters. 7004169310000000000 ♠ 16,931 7003437700000000000 ♠ 4,377 sq mi ( 7004113360000000000 ♠ 11,336 km ) Sagadahoc County 023 Bath 1854 From part of Lincoln County A Native American word meaning mouth of big river. 7004351490000000000 ♠ 35,149 7002370000000000000 ♠ 370 sq mi ( 7002958000000000000 ♠ 958 km ) Somerset County 025 Skowhegan 1809 As Somerset County, Massachusetts from parts of Kennebec County The county of Somerset in England. 7004511130000000000 ♠ 51,113 7003409500000000000 ♠ 4,095 sq mi ( 7004106060000000000 ♠ 10,606 km ) Waldo County 027 Belfast 1827 From parts of Hancock County, Kennebec County and Lincoln County Samuel Waldo, Maine landowner and a colonial soldier in the 1745 siege of Louisbourg. 7004391550000000000 ♠ 39,155 7002853000000000000 ♠ 853 sq mi ( 7003220900000000000 ♠ 2,209 km ) Washington County 029 Machias 1790 As Washington County, Massachusetts from part of Lincoln County George Washington, the first President of the United States. 7004316250000000000 ♠ 31,625 7003325500000000000 ♠ 3,255 sq mi ( 7003843000000000000 ♠ 8,430 km ) York County 031 Alfred 1652 As Yorkshire County, Massachusetts from the southern part of the District of Maine. Renamed York County by Massachusetts in 1668 York, England, the birthplace of Christopher Levett who first attempted to settle the area. 7005201169000000000 ♠ 201,169 7003127100000000000 ♠ 1,271 sq mi ( 7003329200000000000 ♠ 3,292 km ) Song A song is taught to many elementary school children across the state, entitled the Maine County Song, to aid in memorizing the names of the state 's 16 counties. It is sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle. Sixteen counties has our state Cumberland and Franklin Piscataquis and Kennebec Oxford, Androscoggin Waldo, Washington, and York Lincoln, Knox, and Hancock Sagadahoc and Somerset Aroostook and Penobscot An alternate version as put forth by the Maine Secretary of State 's Kids ' Page : The sixteen counties in our state Are Cumberland and Franklin Piscataquis and Somerset Aroostook, Androscoggin Sagadahoc and Kennebec Lincoln, Knox and Hancock Waldo, Washington and York Oxford and Penobscot References ^ Jump up to : Clark, Charles E. ( 1990 ). Maine : A History. University Press of New England. ISBN 0 - 87451 - 520 - 3. Jump up ^ Bassett, John ( 1913 ). A Short History of the United States. New York : Macmillan. OCLC 869001. pp. 437 -- 438 Jump up ^ Clark, Charles E. ( 1970 ). The Eastern Frontier : The Settlement of Northern new England, 1610 -- 1763. New York : Alfred A. Knopf. OCLC 94907. p. 50 Jump up ^ `` FIPS Publish 6 - 4 ''. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Retrieved 2007 - 04 - 11. Jump up ^ `` EPA County FIPS Code Listing ''. EPA.gov. Retrieved 2008 - 02 - 23. ^ Jump up to : National Association of Counties. `` NACo - Find a county ''. Archived from the original on 2008 - 04 - 11. Retrieved 2008 - 04 - 30. ^ Jump up to : `` Maine QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau ''. State & County QuickFacts. Archived from the original on 2007 - 04 - 10. Retrieved 2007 - 04 - 18. Jump up ^ 16 counties fit nicely in ' Yankee Doodle ' Jump up ^ Secretary of State Kid 's Page ( Home ) Archived 2009 - 05 - 06 at the Wayback Machine. List of United States counties and county equivalents States Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Federal district Washington, D.C. State of Maine Augusta ( capital ) Topics Index Geography Government Governors History Islands Images People Tourist attractions Congressional districts Society Culture Demographics Economy Education Party strength Regions Down East Highlands Kennebec Valley Lake Country Mid Coast North Woods Penobscot Bay Southern Coast Western Mountains Counties Androscoggin Aroostook Cumberland Franklin Hancock Kennebec Knox Lincoln Oxford Penobscot Piscataquis Sagadahoc Somerset Waldo Washington York Cities Auburn Augusta Bangor Bath Belfast Biddeford Brewer Calais Caribou Eastport Ellsworth Gardiner Hallowell Lewiston Old Town Portland Presque Isle Rockland Saco Sanford South Portland Waterville Westbrook Largest towns Bridgton Brunswick Cape Elizabeth Falmouth Gorham Kennebunk Kittery Lisbon Old Orchard Beach Orono Sanford Scarborough Skowhegan Standish Topsham Wells Windham Winslow York Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_counties_in_Maine&oldid=813285384 '' Categories : Lists of counties of the United States by state Maine counties Maine geography - related lists Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from September 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Webarchive template wayback links Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from July 2011 Featured lists Talk About Wikipedia Boarisch Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Français Gaeilge Italiano עברית Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Shqip Simple English Svenska Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 2 December 2017, at 21 : 59. 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Question: how many counties are there in the state of maine
Answer: sixteen