Wages
In 2024, wages remained above the EPSCoR average and rose 1.8% 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. *EPScoR is 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 2024, Maine’s average annual wage was $63,220 — below the U.S. average of $75,585 but, for the fifth year, above the average for EPSCoR* states ($61,784). Even adjusting for inflation, wages are now 9.2% above their pre-pandemic 2019 level.
The adequacy of wages to cover workers’ basic needs varies by household and region. In 2024, the estimated living wage for a single Mainer was $48,292 before taxes; it was $108,658 for a single person with two children; and for two working adults with two children, it was $119,832. 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, 2023
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics