Rental market · ZIP 04456 · Penobscot County, ME

ZIP 04456, Penobscot County, ME rental market

Population 3,069 · Penobscot County, ME · ZIP Code Tabulation Area

Ranked · ACS 2024 5-year

CGRADE
49/100 · Rental Investor ZIP Score
National rank #9,011 of 20,132 scored ZIP Codes (55th percentile)
ME rank #83 of 228 · data confidence: high
Cash Flow & Affordability ZIP data
55
Local Demand & Market Quality ZIP data
35
Surrounding-Market Growth county / place context
46
Stability & Risk ZIP + place context
66

Why it ranks here: few downside-risk signals (newer stock, stable surroundings).

Cash Flow & Affordability was scored using a measured (Zillow) home value, giving an effective price-to-income of 3.87× and tax burden of 0.78% of value: the number this category's score is actually based on, which can differ from the ACS survey value shown elsewhere on this page.

A transparent screening score, not a return forecast. Affordable, higher-yield markets can score well when demand, liquidity, low vacancy, reliable government data and a growing surrounding market support them. Categories labeled “context” use official county/place data, never presented as ZIP-level observation. ZIP and city scores are not directly comparable. See how this score works.

How this ZIP ranks: nationally & in-state

Each bar places this ZIP against all 20,132 scored ZIP Codes nationally. The marker is this ZIP and further right is more favorable to an investor; the tick is the median.

Overall Rental Investor ZIP Scoreweighted 0–100 screening score
4955th percentile
Cash Flow & Affordabilitycategory score 0–100
5562nd percentile
Local Demand & Market Qualitycategory score 0–100
3520th percentile
Surrounding-Market Growthcategory score 0–100 county / place context
4647th percentile
Stability & Riskcategory score 0–100 ZIP + place context
6680th percentile
← Less favorableMedianMore favorable →

Percentiles are the frozen model's own numbers among scored ZIP Codes (deterministic competition ranking); an unreliable or thin-peer in-state comparison reads “Not available,” never zero. All underlying figures are ACS survey estimates with margins of error. ZIP and city scores are not directly comparable. See how this score works.

Key metrics

3,069
Population ±1%
$268,500
Median home value (ACS, owner-reported) ±10%
$1,370
Median gross rent (ACS, incl. utilities) ±9%
6.1%
Survey gross-rent yield (proxy)
$86,071
Median household income ±26%
0.0%
Rental vacancy
18.6%
Renter share
1.0%
Estimated property-tax burden
1995
Median year built ±1%
19.3%
Multifamily (5+ units)

Data vintage: ACS 2024 5-year · data confidence: high · every figure is an ACS survey estimate with a margin of error (shown per card).

Market context

Trend context

Loading home value context…

View source data

Each point is one ACS 5-year estimate on the same 2020-Census ZCTA boundary. Adjacent releases overlap, so the release-to-release differences are not independent annual market movement.

ACS estimates by release; ± is the margin of error.
Series2017–20212018–20222019–20232020–2024
Median home value B25077$174,200 ±$26,544$234,200 ±$36,932$244,800 ±$32,855$268,500 ±$26,648
Median gross rent B25064$1,045 ±$82$1,250 ±$108$1,240 ±$113$1,370 ±$120
Population B010032,909 ±202,965 ±123,012 ±193,069 ±18

ACS 2021 release

2017-2021 five-year estimate

Median home value B25077
$174,200Margin of error ±$26,544
Median gross rent B25064
$1,045Margin of error ±$82
Population B01003
2,909Margin of error ±20

ACS 2022 release

2018-2022 five-year estimate

Median home value B25077
$234,200Margin of error ±$36,932
Median gross rent B25064
$1,250Margin of error ±$108
Population B01003
2,965Margin of error ±12

ACS 2023 release

2019-2023 five-year estimate

Median home value B25077
$244,800Margin of error ±$32,855
Median gross rent B25064
$1,240Margin of error ±$113
Population B01003
3,012Margin of error ±19

ACS 2024 release

2020-2024 five-year estimate

Median home value B25077
$268,500Margin of error ±$26,648
Median gross rent B25064
$1,370Margin of error ±$120
Population B01003
3,069Margin of error ±18

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year, table-based Summary File (ZCTA geography); tables B25077 (median value), B25064 (median gross rent), and B01003 (population); estimate + margin of error. Missing releases remain gaps and are never interpolated. Home value is owner-reported; gross rent describes renter housing stock; population is a ZCTA estimate. Dollar figures are nominal.

Measured market data

Measured observations for this ZIP Code, published beside the government survey figures above rather than replacing them. They measure different things and will legitimately disagree: the ACS median home value is what owners report their home is worth in a 5-year survey, while ZHVI is a monthly index of typical home value; ACS median gross rent is what sitting tenants pay including utilities, while ZORI is an index of asking rent on newly listed units. ZORI does not correct the ACS rent; neither is a better version of the other. Monthly series, revised in recent months, observed 2026-07, not live.

Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI, mid tier)$332,900
ZHVI bottom tier (5th–35th pct)$241,966
ZHVI top tier (65th–95th pct)$422,468
Market heat index25
For-sale inventory9
New listings3
Measured 3-yr value growth5.08%/yr
Measured 5-yr value growth6.79%/yr
Measured 10-yr value growth7.58%/yr
ZHVI, 2-bedroom$257,769
ZHVI, 3-bedroom$346,808
ZHVI, 4-bedroom$392,660

Measured value-growth signal: 81 of 100: this ZIP Code area ranks #3,699 of 19,419 ZIP Codes with a measured 3-year value growth rate. This is a separate national signal, published beside the overall score and deliberately not folded into it.

Source: Zillow Economic Research public research data, observation month 2026-07. Zillow keys on USPS ZIP codes; this page is a 2020 Census ZCTA, related but not identical geographies, so a Zillow value is matched to this ZCTA by code and is not a statement that the two areas are the same. Zillow is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, Compounding Estates.

Market Negotiation Leverage

Strong buyer leverage (97th percentile among scored ZIP Codes)

Derived from Zillow's market-heat index for this ZIP, inverted (a cooler market means more room for a buyer to negotiate). 9 active listings. This is a cross-sectional snapshot (how this ZIP compares to every other tracked ZIP today), not a seasonal or historical baseline for this specific ZIP (no multi-year time series exists to support that claim). Not a prediction of what any specific seller will accept. See how this is calculated.

Source: Zillow Economic Research public research data. Zillow is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, Compounding Estates.

Underwrite with these as starting points

Opening a calculator pre-loads the ACS median owner value and median gross rent as a survey-level starting point; every calculator input is editable. Owner-occupied median value and renter median gross rent describe different housing stock: the median-valued home is not the typical rental, so this is a screen, not a listing, appraisal, asking rent, cap rate, or forecast. Bring your own entry price and rent.

ZIP Codes bordering 04456

5 ZIP Code areas share a land boundary with 04456 in the official Census 2020 ZCTA map, ordered by shared-boundary length, not ZIP-number proximity or driving distance. 4 of them are in CE's ranked set and linked below; the rest are searchable from the ZIP Code explorer. No score or rank is shown here: open a profile for its own numbers.

Evidence, sources & limitations

Official geography: Penobscot County, Penobscot County. Analytical entity: the U.S. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) 04456, an approximation of the USPS ZIP delivery area, not its exact route boundaries. Model z2-gov-subscores-v1; data ACS 2024 5-year.

This ZIP Code area is primarily in Penobscot County, largely unincorporated, by land-area overlap from the official Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files (not population or address share).

Populationsurvey ACS B01003 · ±1% MOE
Median home value (ACS, owner-reported)survey ACS B25077 · ±10% MOE
Median gross rent (ACS, incl. utilities)survey ACS B25064 · ±9% MOE
Survey gross-rent yield (proxy)derived 12 * ACS B25064 / B25077
Median household incomesurvey ACS B19013 · ±26% MOE
Rental vacancyderived ACS B25004 E002 / (B25003 E003 + B25004 E002)
Renter sharederived ACS B25003 E003/E001
Estimated property-tax burdenderived ACS B25103 / B25077
Median year builtsurvey ACS B25035 · ±1% MOE
Multifamily (5+ units)derived ACS B25024 (5+ unit structures / total)

Class: survey = ACS estimate (with margin of error); derived = computed from ACS. The survey gross-rent yield is a proxy (renter gross rent vs owner-occupied value, different housing stock; ACS top-codes very high values/rents) and is not a cap rate. Subscores are national percentiles among data-eligible areas; ranks are competition-ranked with deterministic ties. No vendor, listing, parcel, or school data. Not investment advice.