Current Minimum Wage
Maine minimum wage$15.10since January 1, 2026

State minimum wage

Maine minimum wage

$15.10 an hour as of September 2, 2026. Tipped cash wage $7.55. 2 local rates are higher.

  • The Maine minimum wage is $15.10 an hour, set by state law effective .
  • The next change is on : an indexed adjustment, amount to be announced.
  • Tipped employees must be paid at least $7.55 in cash, with a tip credit of up to $7.55.
  • At $15.10 an hour, full-time work (2,080 hours) pays $31,408 a year before taxes.
  • 2 local rates in Maine are higher than the state rate; the highest is $16.75 for Portland.

Tipped cash wage

$7.55
Tip credit up to $7.55

Youth / training

None
No sub-minimum youth or training rate found on the state page.

Next change

Indexed, TBA
· indexed-unannounced

Local rates

2 in effect
MDOL lists Portland and Rockland as municipalities with local minimum wage ordinances and states the highest enforceable minimum applies.

Local minimum wages in Maine

Where a city or county rate is higher, it governs inside that jurisdiction.

Portland$16.75since January 1, 2026Rockland$16.00since January 1, 2026

Scheduled increases in Maine

January 1, 20273 jurisdictions
StateTBA
Maineindexed-unannounced · Statute requires a cost-of-living increase each January 1 based on CPI-W (Northeast Region) August-over-August, rounded to the nearest 5 cents. The...
TBAindexed, amount to be announced
City$17.75
Portland, MEall employers · ordinance · Chapter 33 Sec. 33.7(b)(iii), adopted by referendum 11/4/2025.
$17.75from $16.75 (+$1.00)
CityTBA
Rockland, MEemployers with more than 25 employees · indexed-unannounced · Each Jan 1 from 2025, CPI-U Northeast Aug-over-Aug increase, rounded to nearest $0.05; rises to match the state rate if the state rate is higher.
TBAindexed, amount to be announced
January 1, 20281 jurisdiction
City$19.00
Portland, MEall employers · ordinance · Sec. 33.7(b)(iv).
$19.00from $17.75 (+$1.25)
January 1, 20291 jurisdiction
CityTBA
Portland, MEall employers · indexed-unannounced · From 1/1/2029, CPI-U Northeast Aug-over-Aug increase, rounded to nearest $0.05; if the state minimum wage exceeds the city rate the city rate rises...
TBAindexed, amount to be announced

Coverage, exemptions, and history

Who is covered. All employees covered by 26 MRS 664 statewide (Portland and Rockland have higher local ordinances)..

Tipped employees. Service employees: direct (cash) wage at least 50% of the minimum wage; tip credit may not exceed 50% (26 MRS 664(2)). 2026: direct service wage $7.55, max credit $7.55. Tipped threshold: more than...

Indexing. Adjusted by CPI-W, Northeast Region (BLS), August of prior year over August of the year before on January 1 annually (since 2021-01-01) ; announced Maine Department of Labor, after the August CPI-W release....

Recent history. 2016 ballot measure (Question 4) set $9 (2017), $10 (2018), $11 (2019), $12 (2020), then annual COLA: $12.15 (2021), $12.75 (2022), $13.80 (2023), $14.15 (2024), $14.65 (2025), $15.10 (2026). Statute also matches any...

The older FAQ page (minimum_wage_faq.html) and history page stop at 2023/2025; the current table is on /labor_laws/minimumwagefaq/.

Statute. 26 MRS 664 (minimum wage; overtime rate); agricultural minimum wage at 26 MRS 652.

Common questions

What is the minimum wage in Maine?

$15.10 an hour as of September 2, 2026, under state law effective January 1, 2026.

When does the Maine minimum wage go up next?

On January 1, 2027, by an indexed amount the agency will announce.

What is the tipped minimum wage in Maine?

$7.55 in cash plus tips; the employer must make up any shortfall to $15.10.

Do any cities in Maine have a higher minimum wage?

Yes: Portland $16.75, Rockland $16.00.

Sources

  1. https://www.maine.gov/labor/labor_laws/minimumwagefaq/ official
  2. https://www.maine.gov/labor/labor_laws/minwagehistory.html official
  3. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state official
  4. https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/26/title26sec664.html official
  5. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped official
  6. https://www.ncsl.org/labor-and-employment/state-minimum-wages
  7. https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/inventory-of-us-city-and-county-minimum-wage-ordinances/

Checked 2026-09-02 against Maine Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Standards; researcher confidence 0.93.