Howland, Maine

Town in Penobscot County · population 1,094 (2020 Census)

Median home: $150,100
Household income: $49,297
Jan low / Jul high: 3° / 79°
Snow a year: 86 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 0
Median age: 47.6

Howland is a town of 1,094 people in Penobscot County, Maine. The median home is worth $150,100, below the typical Maine town ($238,950). It ranks better for families than 77% of Maine towns, easier by car than 71% of Maine towns, better transit than 70% of Maine towns.

How Howland ranks

Percentile among Maine towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Maine towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Howland is worth $150,100, below the typical Maine town ($238,950). Homes cost about 3.0 times the median household income of $49,297, which is more affordable than 67% of Maine towns. Median rent is $916 a month. 77.9% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Maine towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Howland	Typical Maine town
Median home value	$150,100	$238,950
Median rent	$916	$1,027
Median household income	$49,297	$68,967
Home value ÷ income	3.0×	3.4×
Homeownership	77.9%	82.4%
Median year built	1970	1978
Seasonal / vacation homes	6.0%	—

Who lives in Howland

People	Howland	Typical Maine town
Median age	47.6	46.9
Age 65 and over	22.8%	22.9%
Under 18	22.0%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.0%	28.2%
Below the poverty line	25.2%	10.7%
Veterans	10.2%	—
Born outside the U.S.	2.9%	—
Work from home	0.0%	12.3%
Average commute	31.0 min	25.5 min
Homes with broadband	84.1%	90.0%

Weather in Howland

July highs average 79.3°F and January lows 3.4°F. About 44.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 85.7 inches of snow (typical Maine town: 77.2 in). Expect about 3 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 167 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Lincoln Sanitary District/Wtp station (12.5 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 2 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

NOAA's Storm Events Database has no tornado within 10 miles of Howland since 1950.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 1 times; the largest was 1.00 inches on July 10, 2006.

Severe weather in Penobscot County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Penobscot County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 1 deaths recorded.

Penobscot County has been included in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, freezing, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
January 30, 2024	Severe Storm	DR-4754: Severe Storm And Flooding
September 14, 2023	Hurricane	EM-3598: Hurricane Lee
April 4, 2020	Biological	DR-4522: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3444: Covid-19
January 2, 2018	Severe Storm	DR-4354: Severe Storm And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Penobscot County

Penobscot County had 71,983 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $55,593 a year. Unemployment was 3.1% in 2023; in Howland itself the ACS puts it at 10%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Howland

2 public schools with 228 students, about 8.4 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Penobscot Valley High School	9-12	131	10.1
Hichborn Middle School	6-8	97	6.9

Towns near Howland

Howland, ME
2.8 mi · 947 people · home $152,100
Enfield, ME
6.6 mi · 1,435 people · home $178,100
Lagrange, ME
8.3 mi · 635 people · home $126,000
Milo, ME
11.5 mi · 1,751 people · home $86,500
Lincoln, ME
12.3 mi · 2,667 people · home $142,100
Milo, ME
13.3 mi · 2,251 people · home $97,100
Lincoln, ME
14.7 mi · 4,853 people · home $141,500
Greenbush, ME
14.8 mi · 1,444 people · home $131,000

Howland questions

Is Howland, Maine a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Howland scores better for retirees than 17% of Maine towns and quieter than 67%. 22.8% of residents are 65 or older (median age 47.6).

How much does a house cost in Howland?

The median owner-occupied home in Howland is valued at $150,100 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $49,297, so homes cost about 3.0 times income. Median rent is $916 a month.

What is the weather like in Howland?

July highs average 79.3°F and January lows 3.4°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 44.3 inches of precipitation a year and 85.7 inches of snow.

Does Howland get tornadoes?

No tornado has been recorded within 10 miles of Howland in NOAA's Storm Events Database since 1950.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Howland's Census boundary (GEOID 2301934190). Comparisons use the median of Maine towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.