{"area":{"county":"Piscataquis County","state":"ME","stateName":"Maine","slug":"piscataquis-me","metro":null},"homeValue":{"series":[{"date":"2021-04-01","value":141538},{"date":"2021-07-01","value":148707},{"date":"2021-10-01","value":154195},{"date":"2022-01-01","value":160932},{"date":"2022-04-01","value":171197},{"date":"2022-07-01","value":170200},{"date":"2022-10-01","value":174081},{"date":"2023-01-01","value":175023},{"date":"2023-04-01","value":181991},{"date":"2023-07-01","value":188791},{"date":"2023-10-01","value":185393},{"date":"2024-01-01","value":192042},{"date":"2024-04-01","value":194455},{"date":"2024-07-01","value":196129},{"date":"2024-10-01","value":199674},{"date":"2025-01-01","value":205258},{"date":"2025-04-01","value":206011},{"date":"2025-07-01","value":206512},{"date":"2025-10-01","value":207702},{"date":"2026-01-01","value":211053},{"date":"2026-04-01","value":208303}],"latest":208303,"yoy":1.1125619505754547,"fiveYr":47.17107773177521,"sinceStart":395.34623799105873,"modeled":true},"rent":{"series":[{"date":"2026-11-01","value":1340}],"latest":1340,"yoy":null,"fiveYr":null,"sinceStart":null,"modeled":true},"census":{"medianIncome":61345,"population":17263,"povertyRate":15.481393975191967,"medianHomeValue":170200,"medianGrossRent":837,"medianPropertyTax":1537},"hud":{"county":"Piscataquis County","year":"2027","perUnit":1340,"bedrooms":2,"estimated":false,"baseBedrooms":2},"crime":{"scope":"state","state":"Maine","period":"10-2024 to 09-2026","window":{"from":"10-2024","to":"09-2026","fellBack":false},"violentCrime":{"total":2337,"ratePer100k":82.5868593245759},"propertyCrime":{"total":23331,"ratePer100k":824.4903786485581},"note":"State-level totals from the FBI CDE summarized offense endpoint."},"crimeVintage":{"from":"10-2024","to":"09-2026","fellBack":false},"priceToRentRatio":13,"ratioVerdict":"Favorable for buying — price-to-rent favors owning (modeled investor cash flow is negative, so this is owner-occupant math — it is not a claim of strong rental yield)","priceCagr":8.036147568258457,"rentCagr":3,"cashFlow":{"price":208303,"monthlyRent":1340,"grossRent":1340,"downPct":20,"ratePct":6.75,"units":1,"state":"ME","down":41660.600000000006,"loan":166642.4,"mortgagePI":1080.8394344755923,"monthlyTax":156.7480075,"taxRatePct":0.903,"taxRateSource":"Census ACS county effective rate 0.90% ($1,537 tax ÷ $170,200 ACS median), applied to current value","monthlyInsurance":72.90605,"insuranceRatePct":0.42,"insuranceBasis":"Insurance: state-level estimate (ME avg 0.42%/yr)","insuranceHighRisk":false,"vacancyPct":5,"vacancyLoss":67,"egi":1273,"mgmtPct":10,"monthlyMgmt":134,"maintenancePct":5,"monthlyMaint":67,"capexPct":5,"monthlyCapex":67,"hoaMonthly":0,"monthlyHoa":0,"operatingExpenses":497.6540575,"noi":775.3459425,"totalExpenses":1578.4934919755924,"cashFlow":-305.4934919755923,"annualCf":-3665.9219037071075,"cocReturn":-8.799493775190724,"capRate":4.466642972016725},"resilience":{"scenarios":[{"id":"rentDown","label":"Rent drops 10%","kind":"standard","detail":"Standard assumption","cashFlow":-405.9934919755922,"delta":-100,"survives":false},{"id":"vacancy","label":"Vacancy stretches to 8%","kind":"standard","detail":"Standard assumption","cashFlow":-345.69349197559234,"delta":-40,"survives":false},{"id":"insurance","label":"Insurance costs rise 25%","kind":"standard","detail":"Standard assumption","cashFlow":-323.7200044755923,"delta":-18,"survives":false},{"id":"rateReset","label":"If financed at 8.25% instead","kind":"standard","detail":"Fixed-rate comparison — the deal if you'd borrowed at a higher rate today; your actual fixed payment never resets","cashFlow":-476.582756888958,"delta":-171,"survives":false},{"id":"historyHome","label":"Worst market shock in available history (since 1991-01-01) (home values −6.9% over 12 months)","kind":"history","detail":"History-derived proxy: worst decline found in any window of up to 12 months in the state FHFA home-value series, 1992-01-01 → 1993-01-01, applied to rent","cashFlow":-374.54570220879793,"delta":-69,"survives":false}],"survived":0,"total":5,"score":0,"worstCashFlow":-476.582756888958,"baselineCashFlow":-305.4934919755923,"framing":"underwater","confidenceLabel":"crosscheck","omitted":[],"note":"Each scenario re-runs the same verified cash-flow engine with one shock applied, then re-checks the cash-flow identity before display. Standard shocks are fixed assumptions; the history-derived scenario is this market's own worst observed 12-month decline. Estimates only — not a guarantee of performance."},"rentVsBuy":{"years":7,"priceCagr":8.036147568258457,"rentCagr":3,"totalRentPaid":123212.39186773033,"totalCashOutlay":181945.858737857,"insuranceBasis":"Insurance: state-level estimate (ME avg 0.42%/yr)","homeValueAfter":357831.9791930346,"equityBuilt":206541.55476847512,"netCostOfBuying":17064.903969381878,"buyingCheaper":true,"savings":106147.48789834845},"priceToIncome":{"ratio":3.395598663297742,"price":208303,"medianIncome":61345,"label":"Moderate (3–5x — tighter budgets)"},"countyTaxRatePct":0.903,"countyTaxSource":"Census ACS county effective rate 0.90% ($1,537 tax ÷ $170,200 ACS median), applied to current value","dataCheck":{"status":"crosscheck","checks":[{"metric":"home value (vintage update)","primary":208303,"secondary":170200,"primarySource":"current estimate (ACS county median × FHFA state HPI growth)","secondarySource":"raw ACS 2023 county median (as measured ~2021)","ratio":1.22,"grade":"crosscheck","consistent":false,"hidePoint":false},{"metric":"HUD fair market rent","primary":1340,"secondary":837,"primarySource":"HUD FMR (county)","secondarySource":"Census ACS (county gross rent)","ratio":1.6,"grade":"crosscheck","consistent":false,"hidePoint":true}],"confidence":{"homeValue":{"label":"crosscheck","ratio":1.22,"sources":["current estimate (ACS county median × FHFA state HPI growth)","raw ACS 2023 county median (as measured ~2021)"],"hidePoint":false,"range":{"low":170200,"high":208303}},"rent":{"label":"crosscheck","ratio":1.6,"sources":["HUD FMR (county)","Census ACS (county gross rent)"],"hidePoint":true,"range":{"low":837,"high":1340}},"income":{"label":"estimate","sources":["Census ACS"]},"crime":{"label":"estimate","sources":["FBI CDE"]}},"note":"Every headline metric is checked against a second figure, and each check names its own basis. The rent and property-price checks pair genuinely independent datasets (HUD FMR vs Census ACS gross rent; your price vs the county estimate). The home-value check compares our current estimate (ACS county median updated by the FHFA state index) against the raw ACS 2023 median — its spread reflects price movement since the ACS measurement period (~2021), not disagreement between unrelated sources. 'Verified' means the two figures agree within 15%; 'Cross-checked' means they diverge more than 15%; 'Divergent' flags a >2x difference. A spread beyond 35% is too wide to defend a single point — the headline shows the source range instead, flagged 'sources disagree'."},"integrity":{"status":"pass","checks":[{"name":"home value freshness","status":"pass","detail":"latest 2026-04-01 (227d old — current for quarterly cadence)"},{"name":"home value card↔chart","status":"pass","detail":"card matches chart"},{"name":"home value growth window","status":"pass","detail":"growth matches the 5.0yr available window"},{"name":"rent freshness","status":"pass","detail":"latest 2026-11-01 (13d old — current for monthly cadence)"},{"name":"rent card↔chart","status":"pass","detail":"card matches chart"},{"name":"cash flow identity","status":"pass","detail":"NOI − P&I = cash flow"},{"name":"cash-on-cash","status":"pass","detail":"annual CF ÷ down matches"},{"name":"cap rate","status":"pass","detail":"NOI×12 ÷ price matches"},{"name":"price-to-rent","status":"pass","detail":"price ÷ (rent×12) matches"},{"name":"income plausibility","status":"pass","detail":"within expected range"},{"name":"price-to-income","status":"pass","detail":"price ÷ income matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: home value at term","status":"pass","detail":"compounds at 8.0%/yr"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: total rent paid","status":"pass","detail":"geometric series matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: equity built","status":"pass","detail":"home value − loan balance matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: net cost","status":"pass","detail":"outlay − equity gain matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: savings & verdict","status":"pass","detail":"savings = rent − net cost, verdict matches"}],"summary":"16/16 verified","freshness":{"homeValue":{"date":"2026-04-01","ageDays":227,"cadence":"quarterly","current":true},"rent":{"date":"2026-11-01","ageDays":13,"cadence":"monthly","current":true}}},"confidence":{"homeValue":{"label":"crosscheck","ratio":1.22,"sources":["current estimate (ACS county median × FHFA state HPI growth)","raw ACS 2023 county median (as measured ~2021)"],"hidePoint":false,"range":{"low":170200,"high":208303}},"rent":{"label":"crosscheck","ratio":1.6,"sources":["HUD FMR (county)","Census ACS (county gross rent)"],"hidePoint":true,"range":{"low":837,"high":1340}},"income":{"label":"estimate","sources":["Census ACS"]},"crime":{"label":"estimate","sources":["FBI CDE"]}},"verdict":"Piscataquis County, ME leans favorable for buying: a price-to-rent ratio of 13.0 favors owning at the median, and modeled investor cash flow is negative, so this is owner-occupant math — not a claim of strong rental yield.","faqs":[{"q":"Is Piscataquis County, ME a good rental market?","a":"For owning at the median, yes — Piscataquis County's price-to-rent ratio of 13.0 is in the favorable range, but modeled investor cash flow is negative, so it is not a claim of strong rental yield."},{"q":"What is the median home value in Piscataquis County?","a":"The typical home value in Piscataquis County is about $208,303 (county-level, Census ACS & FHFA state HPI), up 1.1% year-over-year, and up 47.2% over five years."},{"q":"What is the median rent in Piscataquis County?","a":"The typical rent in Piscataquis County is about $1,340/mo (county-level, HUD 2-bedroom benchmark bridged from Census ACS gross rent), a current modeled estimate."},{"q":"Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Piscataquis County?","a":"Over a 7-year horizon, buying is cheaper in Piscataquis County — roughly $106,147 ahead of renting, with about $206,542 in equity built."},{"q":"Is Piscataquis County affordable for homebuyers?","a":"Piscataquis County's median home value is 3.4x the local median household income — Moderate (3–5x — tighter budgets)."},{"q":"What is the property tax rate in Piscataquis County?","a":"Piscataquis County's effective property tax rate is about 0.90% of home value (Census ACS county effective rate 0.90% ($1,537 tax ÷ $170,200 ACS median), applied to current value), which on a $208,303 median home is roughly $157/mo."}],"takeaways":["The median home value in Piscataquis County, ME was $208,303 as of April 2026, up 1.1% year over year (FHFA HPI applied to the Census ACS county median).","The typical market rent in Piscataquis County, ME was $1,340/mo as of November 2026, a current modeled estimate (HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027, bridged from Census ACS gross rent).","Piscataquis County, ME has a price-to-rent ratio of 13.0 — a reading that favors owning (owner-occupant math — not automatically strong investor cash flow). (Computed by Areal from the figures above.)"],"citationSources":[{"name":"U.S. Census Bureau — ACS ACS 2024 5-year estimates","url":"https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/"},{"name":"FHFA House Price Index","url":"https://www.fhfa.gov/data/hpi"},{"name":"HUD Fair Market Rent","url":"https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html"},{"name":"FBI Crime Data Explorer","url":"https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/"}],"jsonApi":{"function":"getCountyReport","query":"slug=piscataquis-me","url":"https://areal.studio/functions/getCountyReport?slug=piscataquis-me"},"assumptions":{"downPct":20,"ratePct":6.75,"years":7},"dataVintage":{"pulledAt":"2026-11-14T11:28:27.466Z","homeValueBasis":"FHFA state HPI (quarterly) × ACS county anchor","rentBasis":"HUD county FMR — flat current estimate (modeled, no public trend)","zhviThrough":null,"zoriThrough":null,"fhfaHpiThrough":"2026-04-01","hpiLevel":"state","hpiMetro":null,"acsVintage":"ACS 2024 5-year estimates","acsVintageMisses":[],"hudFy":"2027","safmrFy":null},"zipAnchors":{"homeValueTier":"county-fhfa-acs","rentTier":"county-acs-hud","zhvi":null,"zori":null,"safmr":null,"countyHomeEstimate":208303,"countyFmr":1340,"countyRatio":null,"hpiLevel":"state","hpiMetro":null},"links":{"stateDir":"ME","stateName":"Maine","cityPages":[],"zips":[]},"sources":["Census ACS 5-year","FHFA HPI","HUD Fair Market Rent","FBI CDE (state-level context)"]}