Taking a look at Maine’s aging housing stock [Video]

MAINE, USA — As Maine works to address its housing crisis, much of the attention is focused on the need for new development. But there’s another issue at hand: the state’s aging housing stock.

Nearly a quarter of Maine’s 741,803 housing units — 23.4 percent — were built before 1940. That’s far more than the national average of 12 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey five-year estimates. 

Other New England states are facing a similar issue: 19.5 percent of New Hampshire’s housing units, 25.5 percent of Vermont’s and 30.7 of Rhode Island’s were built in the same timeframe. 

The problem this poses in Maine was highlighted in an October 2023 report from MaineHousing. 

“As a result of low production, reduced rental housing and an aging housing stock, the availability of homes is declining and prices are increasing, making …