Was Maine too poor to be affected by the Great Depression? | Fact brief

Maine was not too poor to be affected by the Great Depression, which began in 1929. Still, the effects were less severe and took longer to manifest here than in more urban, industrialized states.

According to the Maine Historical Society, Maine’s jobless rate had risen to 15% by 1933, with many families relying on subsistence farming to get by. Many farm families could not afford to pay taxes or mortgages, coastal tourism declined, and some storefronts were boarded up.

Still, Maine’s predominantly rural economy helped cushion the blow, according to Colby College research. With fewer large factories to shut down, the state avoided the catastrophic industrial layoffs seen elsewhere. Many newly unemployed urban workers actually returned home to rural Maine, boosting the population.

By 1935, agencies created under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal began helping Maine’s recovery, including programs that provided relief and carried out conservation and infrastructure projects across the state.