Penobscot County, ME jobs, unemployment and layoffs

Penobscot County’s unemployment rate is 3.4%. No layoff notices here in the last 12 months. 83 open professional jobs are in its cities.

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Penobscot County economy

3.4%
unemployment, Sep 2026
3.2% the month before
74,881
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
153,571
people in Penobscot County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$63,248
median household income
Source: Census ACS
39%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Where Penobscot County ranks

Where Penobscot County placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.

November 2026

#10Fastest-growing job markets in New England+2.0% · of 24
#11Counties with the most job centers per unemployed person in New England4.0 per 10,000 · of 23
#17Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in New England15% · of 31

Penobscot County outlook: Steady

Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.

Private-sector jobs up 2.0% from 2022 to 2025
Population up 3.8% from 2020 to 2025
Unemployment 3.4%, up 0.2 points from a year ago
Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+980 jobs), hotels & food (+719 jobs)
Sectors losing the most jobs: management of companies (−1,097 jobs)

Local job-market news

Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Penobscot County. Each link goes to the publisher.

Bangor Mall tenants face relocation after city condemns propertyNEWS CENTER Maine · Nov 5, 2026
Bangor Mall is now 'condemned'NEWS CENTER Maine on MSN · Nov 2, 2026
Hiring woes force temporary closure of Maine dental clinicBecker's Dental Review · Oct 6, 2026

Learn and get funded in Penobscot County

Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.

Penobscot County layoffs

No layoff notices naming Penobscot County in the last 12 months are on file. The WARN Act covers employers with 100 or more workers, so smaller layoffs are not in it.

All layoff notices in the state

Employers hiring most in Penobscot County

Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.

University of Maine System19 open roles
University of Maine18 open roles
Versant Power9 open roles
Bangor Savings Bank6 open roles
State of Maine3 open roles
University of Maine at Farmington3 open roles
Amazon2 open roles
County of Penobscot2 open roles
Husson University2 open roles
Agricultural Research Service1 open role

Colleges in Penobscot County

Colleges in Penobscot County
College	City	Type	Students
University of Maine	Orono	Public 4-year	10,000–19,999
Husson University	Bangor	Private non-profit 4-year	1,000–4,999

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Penobscot County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.

Laid off in Maine? How to file for unemployment in Maine (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).

Northeastern Workforce Development Board
Aroostook, Hancock, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Washington

Tri-County Career Center
Bangor · Comprehensive · 207-623-7981
Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm

Cities in Penobscot County

Other Maine counties

All of Maine

Laid off or looking for work in Penobscot County?

See what to do first and the jobs open near you.

See your options after a layoff

Sources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from Maine’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Maine unemployment benefits and severance rules.

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