Wages
In 2022, wages remained above the EPSCoR average but fell 1.5% after adjusting for inflation.
No significant movement since the last available data
Benchmark: Maine’s annual average wage will exceed the average of EPSCoR* states by 2030. *the National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, a program to assist places with historically low levels of funding for research and development.
Overview
Wages reflect job quality, worker productivity, and the makeup of our economy; they are a primary driver of economic prosperity and quality of life. In 2022, Maine’s average annual wage was $58,132—below the U.S. average of $69,985 but, for the third year, above the average for EPSCoR* states ($56,996). This was a 6.4% increase from 2021 and shows employers responding to a tight labor market. However, 8% inflation eclipsed these gains, reducing the average earner’s purchasing power by 1.5%. Even adjusting for inflation, wages are now 7.6% above their prepandemic 2019 level, in line with the 8.7% growth of value added over the same period.
The adequacy of wages to cover workers’ basic needs varies by household and region. In 2022, the estimated living wage for a single Mainer was $34,382; it was $93,579 for a single person with two children; and for two working adults with two children, it was $102,253. Regionally, wages exceed the state average in Cumberland County, Maine’s most populous and urban county, and trail it elsewhere, with rural Franklin and Piscataquis counties having the lowest wages.
Fig. A
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Average Annual Wages (Inflation-Adjusted)
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Fig. B
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Average Annual Wages by County, 2022
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics