Mills Administration Announces New Statewide Data Showing Maine Exceeded Housing Production Goal in 2025

First survey of communities to track housing production in Maine found nearly 7,500 new housing units permitted in 2025, surpassing state's goal by nine percent

The Mills Administration announced today that Maine surpassed its housing production goal in 2025, based on a first-ever survey of communities to track the creation of new homes in towns and cities across the state.

The data, now added to the State of Maine Housing Data Portal, show Maine communities permitted an estimated 7,499 new housing units in 2025 -- exceeding the state's 2025 goal of 6,900 units by about 9 percent.

The 2025 data represent the first look at data from Maine's new statewide housing data collection program, which Governor Mills signed into law in 2025, based on legislation sponsored by Rep. Traci Gere, D-Kennebunkport.

The program -- administered by the Maine Office of Community Affairs in partnership with the Greater Portland Council of Governments -- surveys cities and towns for data on building permits, demolition permits, and certificates of occupancy.

This data will be updated annually each spring to provide the public and local and state policymakers with information to track progress toward housing goals and measure the impact of the state initiatives to increase housing production to address Maine's critical need for housing and reduce housing costs.

"Under my Administration, in partnership with the Legislature, we have invested more than $350 million since 2019 for more housing in Maine, more than five times more than the state devoted to housing in the 18 years prior," said Governor Mills. "I applaud the progress made by so many to surpass our housing goals in 2025. Each new home helps reduce housing costs and puts housing in the reach of more Maine people, so families can put down roots, our employers and our economy can thrive, and our communities can grow and prosper. While we have more work to do, this progress means we are coming closer to ensuring every person can find a safe, affordable place to call home here in Maine."

"Maine now has information to tell us whether we are building enough housing for today's Mainers and tomorrow's workforce," said Kristina Egan, Executive Director of the Greater Portland Council of Governments. "I'm encouraged. In the last year, we exceeded the target for the number of homes we need. For us to meet the state's 2030 goal of 84,000 new homes, progress needs to accelerate in the coming years. But, for now, the news is good."

"It is exciting to see that our efforts to make it easier to build housing across Maine are working," said Speaker Ryan D. Fecteau, D-Biddeford. "Thanks to data submitted by towns and cities -- including 100 who submitted information voluntarily -- we have a clearer picture of our progress, and even more incentive to continue our work to build homes all Mainers can afford. Doing so is critical for Maine families, businesses, and our economy."

"This report carries two strong messages," said Representative Traci Gere, D-Kennebunkport, lead sponsor of the legislation that created the new housing data collection initiative. "One, Maine communities are working hard to fix our housing crisis, and, two, we can do this. In this first year of tracking housing results statewide, we see great momentum. By continuing to ramp up housing permitting and production in each of the coming years, we will achieve our goal."

While Maine exceeded the 2025 target, the state's annual housing production goals increase significantly over the remainder of the decade, rising from 7,600 units in 2026 to 13,300 units in 2030.

Under the program, municipalities with populations of 4,000 or more are required by law to report housing data to the state. In this first year, 79 of the 88 required municipalities reported, as did 103 additional municipalities that reported voluntarily. Together, these 182 communities comprise approximately 73 percent of Maine's population.

The new data published today includes the number of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), single-family homes, and multifamily buildings permitted and occupied in 2025. While permits can track production, certificates of occupancy reflect housing that is ultimately constructed and occupied.

Highlights of the data include:

• Housing development activity was concentrated in southern Maine, with Portland leading the state with 548 permitted units, followed by Biddeford (220), Lewiston (186), Sanford (180), and Windham (169).
• Single-family homes accounted for 67 percent of all permitted housing units statewide, while developments with five or more units accounted for 20 percent. Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) represented 7 percent of all permitted units.
• Municipalities reported permitting 722 affordable housing units, representing 13 percent of all housing units reported through the statewide survey.
• Municipalities also reported 280 affordable housing units receiving certificates of occupancy in 2025.

A summary of the new data is available (PDF).

The landmark Housing Production Needs Study (PDF) commissioned by the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, and MaineHousing, published in 2023, estimated that Maine must add approximately 80,000 units of housing of all types by 2030 to address historic underproduction and support the state's economic future.

That study led to the publication of Statewide and Regional Housing Production Goals (PDF) in 2024, which established Maine's housing production targets, and the Roadmap for the Future of Housing Production (PDF) in 2025. The Mills Administration and MaineHousing also launched the State of Maine Housing Data Portal in 2024 to provide a dashboard of housing conditions at the state, county, and municipal levels.

Since 2019, the Mills Administration has dedicated more than $350 million to alleviate the housing crunch in Maine, over five times the amount the state spent on housing from 2000 to 2018.

These investments have resulted in the creation of 2,100 new apartments built and occupied to date, with more than 1,800 more under construction and over 1,500 in the underwriting pipeline. In the past year alone, the state has financed more than 1,000 affordable homes, mostly new construction.

In addition, Governor Mills in 2022 and 2025 signed historic legislation to encourage responsible housing development and avoid sprawl by reforming zoning and permitting for building projects, simplifying Maine's building codes.

Governor Mills has also signed legislation to create Maine's first-ever long-term funding source for affordable housing production by increasing the tax rate on the portion of real estate sales over $1 million. Through this measure, Maine expects to generate $17 million in revenue in the first year alone, which will go directly into a new Housing Production Fund at MaineHousing.

In April, Governor Mills continued her commitment to addressing Maine's need for affordable housing by signing LD 2116, which extended Maine's landmark Affordable Housing Tax Credit for an additional eight years. Governor Mills first established the credit program in 2020, with strong bipartisan support of the Legislature, as the largest state investment in housing in Maine's history.