Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $15.10 in 2026, Raising Wages for 100,000 Workers, Including Farmworkers

The state minimum wage will increase from $14.65 to $15.10 per hour, effective January 1, 2026. The new minimum wage calculation is based on recent data by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state is required by a law passed in 2016 by Maine voters to make annual adjustments to the minimum wage based on the cost-of-living index (CPI-W) for the Northeast Region. Between August 2024 and August 2025, there was a 3.1 percent increase in the CPI-W.

"As the cost of living continues to rise and workers struggle to pay for groceries, housing, health care and other basic necessities, we are pleased that many workers in the state will be receiving a little bit more in their paychecks," said Matt Schlobohm, Executive Director of the Maine AFL-CIO.

The minimum wage readjustment will raise wages for more than 100,000 workers — about 15% of the state’s workforce, according to an analysis by the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP). Thanks to a new state law supported by the Maine AFL-CIO, all agricultural workers will also be covered by the state minimum wage and benefit from the cost of living increases. Previously, Maine farmworkers were only covered by the federal minimum wage, which has been stuck at $7.25 per hour since 2009.

MECEP estimates that about 42,000 Maine workers currently earn less than $15.10 per hour, while another 43,000 indirectly impacted workers will likely see a raise because they earn up to 15 percent more than the minimum wage. Roughly 17,000 additional tipped workers will see a small increase to their base wage, which must be at least half of the state minimum wage.

Municipal minimum wages in Portland and Rockland will also increase from $15.50 to $16 per hour. Meanwhile, the salary threshold for exempting workers from being eligible for overtime pay is set at 3,000 times the minimum wage and will therefore rise from $43,950 to $45,300.

The Maine AFL-CIO co-chaired the 2016 Minimum Wage referendum campaign to raise Maine's minimum wage.