By Jim Damicis, Scarborough resident and Senior Vice President, Camoin Associates
In the last issue of Scarborough Living, I wrote about the making economy in a piece titled “What We Make: Manufacturing in Scarborough.” In this issue, I pivot to the caring economy with a focus on healthcare and social services, Scarborough’s largest employment sector.
In 2023, the latest year for which employment data are available, there were 4,112 jobs in health care and social services in Scarborough. Of these jobs, 45% were in nursing and residential care facilities, followed by 28% in ambulatory services (outpatient), and 21% in hospitals. Social services made up 6% of the jobs.
Health care and social services have experienced considerable growth in Scarborough. Between 2001 and 2023, the number of jobs in these sectors grew by 54% or 1,441. Nursing and residential care facilities grew the most, growing by 79% or 812 jobs, followed by ambulatory care, which grew 75% or 486 jobs. Employment in these sectors leveled off during COVID-19 but has recently begun to grow again.
Since 2001, the 54% growth of employment in health care and social services in Scarborough has outpaced the City of Portland, the Greater Portland Region, and Maine, but been slightly below the U.S. rate of 60%.
The growth of health care and social services in Scarborough is driven by multiple factors, including the industry’s overall U.S. growth, growth in the number of persons with health insurance, an aging population, and Scarborough’s desirability as a location to live and work. Scarborough has great proximity to highways, a growing population, available land and sites for development, and access to workers. It is also located in proximity to surrounding communities that collectively provide a regional health and social services hub serving Southern Maine as well as other parts of Maine and New Hampshire.
Looking back at Scarborough’s history, a lot has occurred since MaineHealth (formerly Maine Medical) turned the old K-Mart facility into a health care center in the 1990s. As residents, we benefit from a strong and growing health care and social services sector. Beyond providing meaningful jobs and careers, and supporting businesses, we all benefit from proximity to the services needed for personal health and well-being. In fact, I often come across people who indicate that they moved to the community to be closer to medical services.
Photo by Patty Brito
