The federal minimum wage has remained $7.25 an hour since 2009, and $2.13 an hour for tipped workers. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Maine’s minimum wage will increase to $15.10 per hour next year.
Currently, the state’s minimum wage is $14.65, but the Maine Department of Labor announced Thursday the 45 cent increase that will take effect Jan. 1, 2026. The “tip wage,” or the minimum wage for service employees, will increase to $7.55 per hour.
This is a slightly smaller jump than the 50 cent increase the state saw between 2024 and 2025.
Per Maine law and a 2016 citizens referendum, the state is required to make an annual adjustment based on the cost-of-living index for the Northeast Region. Based on data from the U.S. Department of Labor, there was a 3.1% increase in the cost-of-living index between August 2024 and last month.
For the first time, the state’s minimum wage will pertain to agricultural workers since Gov. Janet Mills signed a law in June that now guarantees them the right.
An estimated 35,000 workers in Maine were paid hourly and received less than $15 an hour in 2024, according to the Current Population Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The cities of Portland and Rockland have their own minimum wages, which are typically higher than the state’s. Both cities usually update their minimum wage based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, so their rate for 2025 is $15.50.
However, Portland City Council voted last month to place a question on the November ballot asking residents if they’d like to raise the city’s minimum wage to $19 an hour over the next three years. If approved, the rate would jump to $16.75 per hour in 2026, $17.75 in 2027, and then $19 an hour in 2028. After that, the wage would keep pace with cost of living increases.