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 $4.09, highest Washington County $4.49. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Maine, October 10, 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).
Offered pay in certified work-visa filings, fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025). Click a company for its jobs and salaries.
In fiscal year 2025, employers offered a median of $98,250 a year in 423 certified H-1B filings for jobs in Maine, up 10.6% from 2024 (US: $120,000). The largest job group was Software Developers. Fiscal year 2026 so far covers filings decided through Jun 30, 2026.
Median offered pay
$98,250
+10.6%vs 2024
Middle half: $83,075 to $172,500.
H-1B, fiscal year 2025
H-1B filings
423
+5.0%vs 2024
486 positions asked for.
Certified, full-time, fiscal year 2025
Top job group
$106,500
Software Developers, 58 filings.
Median offered pay of the largest job group
Green card jobs
$77,542
+2.8%vs 2024
142 PERM filings.
PERM median, fiscal year 2025
Median and middle half of the offers in Maine, next to the US median. Hover a year for the numbers.
| Job group | Filings | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 58 | $106,500 |
| Physicians, All Other | 44 | $304,307 |
| Registered Nurses | 42 | $83,075 |
| Industrial Engineers | 17 | $91,520 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | 14 | $63,357 |
| Radiologists | 11 | $300,000 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | 9 | $275,000 |
| Molecular and Cellular Biologists | 9 | $94,358 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | 9 | $220,000 |
| Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary | 8 | $94,999 |
| Employer | Filings | Cities |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Maine Medical Center | 43 | 1 |
| Avant Healthcare Professionals, LLC. | 40 | 1 |
| University of Maine | 24 | 1 |
| IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. | 21 | 1 |
| The Jackson Laboratory | 17 | 2 |
| Colby College | 16 | 1 |
| WEX Inc. | 14 | 1 |
| MaineHealth | 11 | 5 |
| Spectrum Healthcare Partners | 11 | 2 |
| Rite Pros Inc. | 10 | 1 |
| City | Filings | Median pay | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangor | 107 | $239,604 | $83,075 to $359,100 |
| Portland | 67 | $120,000 | $89,360 to $163,000 |
| Westbrook | 34 | $105,500 | $87,750 to $122,250 |
| Orono | 25 | $78,999 | $63,999 to $94,999 |
| South Portland | 24 | $98,176 | $89,465 to $113,992 |
| Waterville | 19 | $83,200 | $68,580 to $91,943 |
| Bar Harbor | 18 | $91,416 | $64,414 to $111,488 |
| Augusta | 17 | $108,000 | $95,000 to $117,000 |
| Scarborough | 13 | $85,000 | $80,267 to $124,800 |
| Caribou | 11 | $67,226 | $63,357 to $94,058 |
Yearly pay that employers offered in certified work-visa filings (H-1B, E-3 and PERM green card), from official public data. Pay is the lower end of the offered pay range, for full-time positions only. These are offered pay figures for positions in work-visa filings, not the pay of all employees. A filing is an offer for a position, not a hire, and one person can appear in several filings. Fiscal years run from October to September. Groups with fewer than 3 filings show counts only. Employers are ranked by filings in the cities of Maine added up.
Declared disasters and flood insurance claims: what happened, from official public data.
Maine has had 71 declared disasters and emergencies since 1954, 44 of them since 2000, most often Severe Storm. Flood insurance has paid $87.1 million on 5,672 claims since 1978; the biggest year was 2024 ($29.4 million).
Declared disasters
44
30 major disasters. Most often Severe Storm (25 since 1954).
Since 2000, all types; 71 since 1954
Flood claims paid
$45.4M
1,304 claims. Biggest year 2024 ($29.4M).
2016 to 2025, flood insurance
Policies in force
8,534
Average premium $1,296 a year.
2025, flood insurance policies
Most-declared county
26
York, latest May 24, 2024.
Declarations since 2000
Declarations for Maine, 1954 to today
Claims paid in Maine by the year of the flood, US dollars
Declarations since 1954
Declarations naming the county since 2000; statewide ones not counted
All years since 1978; policies are a yearly average. Top 15 of 16.
| # | County | Claims | Paid | Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | York County | 2,666 | $44.7M | 3,438 |
| 2 | Kennebec County | 441 | $7.45M | 380 |
| 3 | Oxford County | 352 | $5.87M | 306 |
| 4 | Cumberland County | 504 | $5.49M | 1,451 |
| 5 | Aroostook County | 358 | $4.57M | 181 |
| 6 | Lincoln County | 149 | $3.63M | 368 |
| 7 | Somerset County | 138 | $2.02M | 181 |
| 8 | Piscataquis County | 87 | $1.95M | 68 |
| 9 | Knox County | 92 | $1.87M | 311 |
| 10 | Franklin County | 88 | $1.80M | 143 |
| 11 | Penobscot County | 238 | $1.71M | 366 |
| 12 | Waldo County | 73 | $1.51M | 152 |
| 13 | Androscoggin County | 147 | $1.15M | 214 |
| 14 | Sagadahoc County | 85 | $1.14M | 169 |
| 15 | Hancock County | 89 | $1.08M | 339 |
A declaration opens federal help after a disaster; it can name counties or the whole state. Flood insurance numbers count insured losses only (most homes have no flood insurance) and are not adjusted for inflation; the current year is data so far. For the flood-zone risk of a place, open the area on the real estate map.
Environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports of facilities in Maine, from official public data.
Official public data lists 1,618 facilities in Maine with records since 2010, 1,604 of them with environmental compliance records. In 2022 to 2026, the largest penalties were at Schnitzer Northeast in Auburn ($1,550,000). 38 large facilities reported 3.42 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2023, down 10.3% from 2022.
Facilities with records
1,618
1,604 with environmental records.
Since 2010
Largest penalties
$1.55M
Schnitzer Northeast, Auburn.
One facility, 2022 to 2026
Greenhouse gases
3.42M t
-10.3%vs 2022
38 reporting facilities.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
Largest emitter
871K t
Westbrook Energy Center, Westbrook.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
| Facility | Penalties | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| Schnitzer Northeast Auburn | $1,550,000 | 0 |
| Abf Freight Systems, INC. Portland Me Portland | $535,000 | 0 |
| Ledgemere Transportation, INC - Lewiston Lewiston | $325,000 | 0 |
| Ledgemere Transportation, INC - Sanford Sanford | $325,000 | 0 |
| Ledgemere Transportation INC - Wells Wells | $325,000 | 0 |
| Ledgemere Transportation, INC - York York | $325,000 | 0 |
| T & D Wood Energy LLC - Sanford Sanford | $151,550 | 3 |
| Diesel Fuel Systems, INC. Bangor | $100,000 | 0 |
| Pine Tree Waste INC. Scarborough | $85,320 | 0 |
| Jasper Wyman & Son Manufacturing Facility Cherryfield | $73,490 | 0 |
| Facility | Metric tons CO2e |
|---|---|
| Westbrook Energy Center Westbrook | 871,059 |
| Mead Oxford Corporation Rumford | 416,874 |
| Casco Bay Energy Company, LLC Veazie | 380,421 |
| Sappi North America, Inc. - Somerset Operations Skowhegan | 316,254 |
| Woodland Pulp LLC Baileyville | 258,839 |
| Dragon Cement Thomaston | 236,953 |
| Rumford Power LLC Rumford | 160,818 |
| Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Kittery | 72,231 |
| Texas Instruments Incorporated - Maine Fab South Portland | 69,822 |
| Juniper Ridge Landfill Old Town | 69,031 |
Large facilities in Maine, metric tons of CO2 equivalent. Hover a year for the number.
Their facilities in Maine, 2022 to 2026. Click a company for its Risk & Compliance tab.
| Company | Facilities | Penalties | CO2e (t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NextEra Energy, Inc. NEE | 2 | $0 | 53K |
| Vistra Corp. VST | 1 | $0 | 380K |
| Waste Management, Inc. WM | 2 | $0 | 35K |
Official public data on environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports, summarized by facility and year since 2010. A record does not mean a site is unsafe today; penalties and violations vary a lot by industry and size. Penalties are the amounts assessed (after settlements), not amounts paid. Recent years can still change.
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 10, 2026, up $1.33 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.44. Among its counties, Knox County had the lowest regular price ($4.09) and Washington County the highest ($4.49).
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.
$98,250 a year was the median pay offered in 423 certified H-1B filings for jobs in Maine in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), up 10.6% from 2024. The middle half of the offers ranged from $83,075 to $172,500. The US median was $120,000. These are offered pay figures in work-visa filings, not the pay of all workers.
Eastern Maine Medical Center (43), Avant Healthcare Professionals, LLC. (40), University of Maine (24), IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (21), The Jackson Laboratory (17) had the most certified H-1B filings for jobs in Maine in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025).
Software Developers (58 filings, median $106,500), Physicians, All Other (44 filings, median $304,307), Registered Nurses (42 filings, median $83,075) were the largest job groups in certified H-1B filings in Maine in fiscal year 2025.
$239,604 was the median offered pay in Bangor, the highest among the Maine cities with the most H-1B filings in fiscal year 2025 (107 filings).
$77,542 a year was the median pay offered in 142 certified PERM green card filings for jobs in Maine in fiscal year 2025.
71 disasters and emergencies have been declared for Maine since 1954, 44 of them since 2000 (30 major disasters). The most common type is Severe Storm (25 declarations).
York, with 26 declarations since 2000, followed by Oxford County (23) and Franklin County (22). Statewide declarations are not counted for single counties.
$87.1 million on 5,672 flood insurance claims since 1978. The biggest year was 2024, with $29.4 million paid on 744 claims. York County received the most ($44.7 million).
$1,296 a year in 2025, across 8,534 flood insurance policies in Maine. Most homes have no flood insurance; the premium depends on the home's flood risk and coverage.