The local economy of Maine and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
3.2%
-0.1 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Cumberland County 2.6%, highest Piscataquis County 4.8%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,327
+3.5%vs a year ago
629,100 jobs at 67,483 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
6,830
+5.8%this year vs last year
Most in Cumberland County 2,165, York County 1,372.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+6,390
+5.8 per 1,000residents
32,155 moved in and 25,765 moved out. Most newcomers came from Massachusetts.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Maine gas price
$4.39
+$1.33vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Knox County $4.10, highest Washington County $4.50. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Maine, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
43K
+0.4%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
548K
+2.9%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (19.8%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$32.1B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$58,501
Highest sector: Utilities $112,754.
Per employee per year
Share of Maine's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 40,735 | $30,300 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 31,374 | $83,402 |
| Grocery Stores | 19,828 | $27,718 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 14,890 | $84,055 |
| Individual and Family Services | 11,983 | $38,692 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 11,282 | $38,575 |
| Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services | 10,984 | $86,767 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 10,873 | $81,237 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 10,184 | $31,798 |
| Offices of Physicians | 10,086 | $109,790 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities | 9,304 | $43,782 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 9,195 | $65,745 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Maine, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Maine is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Maine, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Maine was 3.2% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 3.3% a year earlier. 675,001 people were employed out of a labor force of 697,441. Among its counties, Cumberland County had the lowest rate (2.6%) and Piscataquis County the highest (4.8%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Maine was $1,327 in Q1 2026, up 3.5% from a year earlier, across 629,100 jobs at 67,483 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 518 new homes in Maine in August 2026 (453 single-family and 36 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 4,769, up 5.8% from the same months last year, and 6,830 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Cumberland County (2,165), York County (1,372), Penobscot County (510) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 32,155 people moved to Maine and 25,765 moved away, a net gain of 6,390 (+5.8 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Florida, and most people who left went to Massachusetts, Florida, New Hampshire.
Regular gasoline in Maine averaged $4.39 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.33 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.44. Among its counties, Knox County had the lowest regular price ($4.10) and Washington County the highest ($4.50).
Health Care and Social Assistance (108,627 employees), Retail Trade (85,258 employees), Manufacturing (57,987 employees) were the largest sectors in Maine in 2023. In all, 43,345 business locations employed 548,469 people at an average pay of $58,501 a year.