Living on minimum wage · Maine
Living on Minimum Wage in Maine
A full-time job at Maine’s $15.10 minimum wage pays $31,408 a year. After federal taxes that is about $2,277 a month, the 12th-highest take-home of the 51 states and DC.
- Take-home a month $2,277 single, after federal tax
- Take-home a year $27,326 87% of $31,408
- Real hourly pay $13.14 after tax, of $15.10
- Work for $100 of goods 8.0 hrs incl. 5.5% sales tax
From gross pay to take-home
| Year | Month | Every 2 weeks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $31,408 | $2,617 | $1,208 |
| Federal income tax | −$1,679 | −$140 | −$65 |
| Social Security & Medicare | −$2,403 | −$200 | −$92 |
| Take-home | $27,326 | $2,277 | $1,051 |
Figures assume 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, a single filer and the 2026 standard deduction. Maine state income tax is not included, so an actual paycheck here will be somewhat lower. For a different situation, use the take-home pay calculator.
Compared with the federal minimum
A full-time worker in Maine takes home about $13,400 more a year than someone paid the $7.25 federal minimum, who keeps $13,926. The highest take-home is in District of Columbia, at $32,842. See this state’s rate history and rank on minimum wage in Maine.
What spending costs in hours of work
The combined sales tax in Portland is 5.5%, so $100 of taxable goods costs $105.50 at the register. At $13.14 of take-home pay an hour, that takes about 8.0 hours of work, the 11th-shortest of the 51 states and DC.
Rates differ across the state; see sales tax in Maine for other cities.
Two earners
A couple who both work full-time at minimum wage and file jointly earn $62,816 and take home about $4,554 a month after federal taxes.
How big a mortgage minimum wage supports
Lenders commonly cap housing costs at 28% of gross pay. At this week’s 6.76% 30-year rate, that lets one full-time earner here borrow about $112,875 and a two-earner couple about $225,749, before property tax and insurance. See what a $225,000 mortgage costs month to month.
Minimum wage in Maine: take-home FAQ
What is take-home pay on minimum wage in Maine?
Full-time at $15.10 an hour, 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, earns $31,408 a year. After $1,679 of federal income tax and $2,403 of Social Security and Medicare, a single filer takes home about $27,326, or $2,277 a month. Maine state income tax is not included, so an actual paycheck here will be somewhat lower.
How much federal tax does a minimum wage worker pay in Maine?
About $1,679 of federal income tax and $2,403 of Social Security and Medicare, using 2026 brackets and the standard deduction for a single filer. Together that is 13% of gross pay.
How long does a minimum wage worker in Maine work to buy $100 of goods?
The combined sales tax in Portland is 5.5%, so $100 of taxable goods costs $105.50 at the register. At a take-home rate of $13.14 an hour, that is about 8.0 hours of work, the 11th-shortest of the 51 states and DC.
Can you afford a mortgage on minimum wage in Maine?
Keeping principal and interest to 28% of gross pay at this week’s 6.76% 30-year rate, one full-time minimum wage earner could borrow about $112,875. Two full-time earners could borrow about $225,749, before property tax and insurance.
2026 state minimum wage, 2026 federal brackets for a single filer with the standard deduction, and Social Security and Medicare at 7.65%. State and local income taxes are not included . Sales tax is the combined rate for one downtown ZIP code in Portland.
Data: U.S. Department of Labor; Internal Revenue Service; State departments of revenue, via APIVerve. Our tables, charts and text are licensed CC BY-NC 4.0: share and adapt them for non-commercial use as long as you credit us. For commercial use or bulk data, use the APIVerve API. See the data terms. Cite as: Digest Your Finances, “Living on Minimum Wage by State”, https://digestyourfinances.com/studies/living-on-minimum-wage/maine/ — based on U.S. Department of Labor; Internal Revenue Service; State departments of revenue. CC BY-NC 4.0.
