Economic Data

Employment/Unemployment

Wiscasset had a lower unemployment rate in 2000 (3.7%) than either Lincoln County (4.3%) or the State of Maine (4.8%). The town’s unemployment rate was also lower than that of Damariscotta (3.9%), Dresden (4.2%) and Westport (7.2%).

Employment by Industry

Wiscasset had a smaller percentage of its residents employed in manufacturing (11.6%) than the County (12.7%) and State (14.2%), as well as a lower percentage employed in education, health and social services (19.3%, versus 22.3% in the County and 23.2% in the State).

Employment by Occupation

The occupational breakdown for Wiscasset differs somewhat from that of the County and State. Approximately 29.4% of Wiscasset residents were employed in “Management, professional and related occupations” compared to County and State figures (31.7% and 31.5%, respectively). The percentage of Wiscasset residents employed in “Sales and office occupations” (21.9%) was just about the same as the County figure (21.7%), but was less than the State figure (25.9%). Wiscasset had a greater percentage of its residents employed in “Construction, extraction and maintenance” (15.9%) than Lincoln County (12.8%) and Maine 10.3%).

Commuting to Work

A greater percentage of Wiscasset residents (78.4%) drove alone to work by car, truck or van compared to others in the County (76.5%). The Town’s percentage is about the same as Maine’s (78.6%). Mean travel time to work for Wiscasset residents (21.6 minutes) was lower than for Lincoln County (23.4 minutes) and the State of Maine (22.7 minutes). Approximately 4.2% of the workforce in Wiscasset worked at home in 2000. Comparable figures for the County and State were 6.2% and 4.4%, respectively.

Place of Work, Wiscasset Residents

According to the 2000 Census, of the 1,974 residents of Wiscasset who reported their job locations, 603, or about 30.5%, were employed in Wiscasset. The remaining 69.9% worked outside the community. The principal job locations outside Wiscasset were Bath (296 persons, or 15.0%), Brunswick (165 persons, or 8.4%), and Damariscotta (127 persons, or 6.4%).

Residence of People Who Work in Wiscasset

The Census provides information on where people live who work in Wiscasset. In 2000, 1,890 people reported working in Wiscasset. Of this total, 603 workers, or 31.9%, reported living in Wiscasset.

Taxable Consumer Retail Sales

Taxable consumer sales can be used as a measure of economic activity within a region and within a community. The growth of consumer retail sales for the period 2000 to 2004 in Lincoln County (5.6%) lagged overall state growth (16.7%). Within the immediate region, there were a number of dramatic changes during that same period. In Wiscasset, consumer retail sales declined by 12.9%. Other towns experiencing declines were Edgecomb (-19.1%) and Newcastle (-15.9%).

The only communities showing strong growth were Nobleboro (89.3%) and Damariscotta (43.7%). In the year 2000, consumer retail sales in Wiscasset exceeded those of all communities shown in the table, including Damariscotta. However, in 2004, consumer retail sales in Damariscotta exceeded sales in Wiscasset.

Sources: 2000 U.S. Census, Maine Revenue Service, Maine Department of Labor

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