In Maine, a Rare Influx of New Residents, and a Housing Crunch

Andrew Crawley, an economist at the University of Maine who is scrutinizing housing, labor and school data for clues to the future, said the number of workers in the state is still down since the pandemic. School enrollment may be ticking up, he added, but so far, the results are inconclusive.

“For now, it’s a blip, not a trend — but even as a blip, it’s incredible, and if it holds steady, then it’s huge,” Mr. Crawley said. “For those arguing we need more people, more nurses, more teachers, more plumbers, this is good news; the question is if it will continue.”

The blip may mean the most in the state’s farthest reaches, like Washington County, the easternmost place in the United States, which has steadily lost population since the 1990s. Even there, 300 miles from Boston, newcomers have been popping up, and median home prices have crossed the $200,000 mark.

“Rural America has been found again, and it’s an opportunity for us,” said Chris Gardner, a county commissioner who hopes the state will seize the moment and send recruiters nationwide to tout Maine’s charms. “Second-home buyers are welcome, but we’re hoping to get real, year-round community members to grow our strength.”

Across the country, movement out of major metropolitan areas more than tripled between 2020 and 2021, census data shows, driven by factors including the freedom of some professionals to work anywhere, a desire to flee densely populated areas for health reasons, and, for some, a new focus on quality of life.