Wages
Maine's annual average wage will exceed the average of EPSCoR* states by 2030
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 2021, Maine’s average annual wage was $54,651—below the U.S. average of $67,610 but above the average for EPSCoR* states ($54,165). In 2021, Maine wages grew 5% as employers responded to a tight labor market. However, inflation absorbed most of these gains. After adjusting for inflation, the purchasing power of the average wage earner rose just 0.5%.
The adequacy of wages to cover workers’ basic needs varies by household and region. In 2021, the estimated living wage for a single Mainer was $37,190; it was $90,230 for a single person with two children; and for two working adults with two children, it was $103,084. 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, 2020
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics