Waldo County is a county in Maine, United States, on the west shore of Penobscot Bay. It had a population of 39,607 at the 2020 census and covers 730 square miles (1,890 km2) of land centred near 44°29′N 69°07′W.
Belfast is the county seat, and its postal code is 04915. The county has one city, 25 towns, three census-designated places, and a handful of unincorporated villages. Waldo County runs on Eastern Time.
Towns & Villages in Waldo County
Waldo County has one incorporated city (Belfast), 25 incorporated towns, and several unincorporated villages that sit inside a larger town’s boundaries rather than standing on their own. Maine has no civil-township layer, so every place below is either a municipality or a village/CDP within one.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | City · seat | 6,938 | 04915 |
| Belmont | Town | — | 04915 |
| Brooks | Town | — | 04921 |
| Burnham | Town | — | 04922 |
| Frankfort | Town | — | 04438 |
| Freedom | Town | — | 04941 |
| Islesboro | Town | — | 04848 |
| Jackson | Town | — | 04921 |
| Knox | Town | — | 04986 |
| Liberty | Town | — | 04949 |
| Lincolnville | Town | — | 04849 |
| Lincolnville Center | Unincorp. | — | 04850 |
| Monroe | Town | — | 04951 |
| Montville | Town | — | 04941 |
| Morrill | Town | — | 04952 |
| Northport | Town | — | 04915 |
| Palermo | Town | — | 04354 |
| Prospect | Town | — | 04981 |
| Sandy Point | Unincorp. | — | 04972 |
| Searsmont | Town | — | 04973 |
| Searsport | Town | — | 04974 |
| Stockton Springs | Town | — | 04981 |
| Swanville | Town | — | 04915 |
| Thorndike | Town | — | 04986 |
| East Thorndike | Unincorp. | — | 04986 |
| Troy | Town | — | 04987 |
| East Troy | Unincorp. | — | 04987 |
| Unity | Town | — | 04988 |
| Waldo | Town | — | 04915 |
| Winterport | Town | — | 04496 |
Islesboro sits apart from the mainland on an island in Penobscot Bay, reached only by ferry from Lincolnville. Searsport, Unity, and Winterport are each both a town and its own census-designated place, since the CDP boundary is drawn around the built-up village core inside the wider township.
ZIP Codes
- 04915 — Belfast (also serves Northport, Swanville, Waldo)
- 04849 — Lincolnville
- 04850 — Lincolnville Center (PO Box only)
- 04496 — Winterport
- 04974 — Searsport
- 04981 — Stockton Springs (also serves Prospect)
- 04986 — Thorndike (also serves Knox, East Thorndike)
- 04988 — Unity
- 04952 — Morrill
- 04921 — Brooks (also serves Jackson)
- 04973 — Searsmont
- 04941 — Freedom (also serves Montville)
- 04354 — Palermo
- 04438 — Frankfort
- 04951 — Monroe
- 04987 — Troy (also serves East Troy)
- 04949 — Liberty
- 04922 — Burnham
- 04848 — Islesboro
- 04972 — Sandy Point (PO Box only)
Belmont has no post office of its own and is served by the Belfast ZIP.
Geography
Waldo County sits on the west shore of Penobscot Bay, roughly halfway between Bangor and Augusta. The Penobscot River forms part of its eastern border and Sheepscot Lake and Unity Pond are among its larger inland waters. The terrain runs from tidal shoreline and rolling farmland along the coast to hillier, more wooded interior toward the north and west.
Waldo County borders Penobscot County to the north, Hancock County to the east, Knox County to the south, Lincoln County to the southwest, Kennebec County to the west, and Somerset County to the northwest.
Demographics
Waldo County had 39,607 residents at the 2020 census. Belfast, with 6,938 people, is the largest community, followed by Winterport. Median household income in the county trails the Maine median of $73,733, reflecting the county’s mix of small farms, fishing towns, and rural interior. Population density works out to roughly 54 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Belfast anchors the county’s economy as a working harbor town, home to poultry-processing and shoe-manufacturing history that has given way to tourism, food producers, and small manufacturers along its waterfront. Searsport is a deep-water port town with an oil-terminal and shipping history, and much of the rural interior still supports dairy and vegetable farming, Christmas-tree production, and blueberry growing. Unity is home to Unity College, and the county hosts the Common Ground Country Fair each September, a large organic-farming and rural-living fair run by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.
History
Waldo County was organized on February 7, 1827, from part of Hancock County. It is named for Brigadier General Samuel Waldo, an 18th-century merchant and land speculator who held the Waldo Patent, a vast tract covering much of the region before Maine’s founding towns were incorporated. Belfast, settled in the 1770s, grew through the 19th century as a shipbuilding and shoe-manufacturing center, and its downtown retains a large stock of Federal- and Greek Revival-era buildings from that boom.
Getting There
U.S. Route 1 runs the length of the county’s coastline through Belfast, Searsport, and Stockton Springs, while Route 3 and Route 137 connect Belfast to the interior towns. Nearest cities and travel distances:
- Bangor — 32 miles northeast
- Augusta — 30 miles southwest
- Camden — 18 miles south
- Portland — 90 miles southwest
Bangor International Airport, about 35 miles northeast of Belfast, is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Waldo County, Maine?
It sits on the west shore of Penobscot Bay in Mid Coast Maine, between Bangor and Augusta.
What is the population of Waldo County?
39,607 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Waldo County?
730 square miles of land (1,890 km2), plus about 123 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Waldo County?
Belfast is the county seat.
How many towns are in Waldo County?
One city (Belfast) and 25 incorporated towns, plus several unincorporated villages inside those towns.
What ZIP codes are in Waldo County?
Twenty ZIP codes, from 04915 (Belfast) to 04988 (Unity); the full list is above.
Which Waldo County town is on an island?
Islesboro, reached by ferry from Lincolnville, is the county’s only island town.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Maine.