
Maine · Census place 78535
Van Buren, ME population, income and ZIP codes
Quick answer
The population of the city of Van Buren, Maine (Van Buren, ME — Census place “Van Buren CDP”) is 1,614 residents, ranking #80 of 155 places in Maine. Median household income is $35,200, the median home is worth $90,200 and median gross rent runs $596 a month. Looking for the Van Buren Maine ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Van Buren, ME: 04785.
- Population
- 1,614Van Buren CDP residents
- Median household income
- $35,200Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
- Median home value
- $90,200Owner-occupied units
- Median gross rent
- $596Rent plus utilities, monthly
- Median age
- 57.1 yrsAll residents
- Homeownership rate
- 64.2%Owner-occupied households
Van Buren ZIP codes (Maine)
Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Van Buren.
The Van Buren ME ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.
What the numbers mean in Van Buren CDP
Housing cost measured against local earnings.
A household earning the Van Buren CDP median would spend about 20.3% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 2.6× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 24.7% of residents and 64.2% of households own their home.
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year
Van Buren CDP, ME in context
How this area compares with national benchmarks.
Van Buren CDP is a small town in Maine, with 1,614 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #80 of 155 ranked by population — larger than 48% of them. The median age here is 57.1 years against 39.1 nationally, a markedly older profile that usually tracks retirees staying put and younger households leaving for work. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.
Households in Van Buren CDP earn a median of $35,200 a year, 55.2% below the national figure of $78,538 and 40% below the $58,992 median for the 106 Maine cities we cover. This figure covers the household, not the worker: two people on ordinary wages at one address outrank a single professional in the same table. Poverty reaches 24.7% of residents here, well above the 12.4% national rate, which is the single clearest signal in this dataset that median income here is carried by a narrow band of households.
The typical owner-occupied home in Van Buren CDP is valued at $90,200, 70.3% below the national figure and 59% below the $221,600 peer median, while median gross rent runs $596 a month, 57.6% below the national figure, or roughly $7,152 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 20.3% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is within the standard affordability guideline. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 2.6×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 64.2% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. Rent is reported gross — contract rent plus tenant-paid utilities — which is why it runs above the advertised price on a listing for the same unit.
A median age of 57.1 puts Van Buren CDP well into retirement-weighted territory, which pulls median household income down even where household wealth is high, because retirement draws are counted differently from wages.
All values below were released by the Census for this exact geography, with no gap-filling on our side. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.
Compare with nearby places
Places of similar size in Maine.
- East Millinocket CDP 1,545
- Fort Fairfield CDP 1,632
- Freeport CDP 1,544
- Fryeburg CDP 1,665
- Waldoboro CDP 1,487
- Bridgton CDP 1,666
- Randolph CDP 1,479
- Steep Falls CDP 1,720
Keep going
More Maine coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- What is the population of Van Buren CDP?
- Van Buren CDP has 1,614 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #80 of 155 in Maine.
- What is the median household income in Van Buren CDP?
- Median household income in Van Buren CDP is $35,200 a year, 55.2% below the national figure of $78,538.
- How much does it cost to rent or buy in Van Buren CDP?
- Median gross rent is $596 a month and the median home value is $90,200, so rent absorbs about 20.3% of median household income.
- Is Van Buren CDP affordable compared with the rest of the US?
- Homes cost about 2.6× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Van Buren CDP is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 20.3% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
- How current is this Van Buren CDP data?
- All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. At this population the ACS sample is small, so the margin of error around every dollar figure below is wide — treat the numbers as a band, not a point, and expect them to move between annual releases without the place itself changing.