New Report Shows Mainers Have the 5th Lowest Incomes in the US

Maine is really rural. Like, most-of-the-state-is-woods kind of rural. Outside of bigger cities like Portland, Bangor and Lewiston, there just aren’t a lot of high paying job opportunities. Fewer people, fewer businesses. That alone can bring the numbers down.

And if you're from here, you probably know a lot of Maine’s economy leans on industries like farming, fishing, and tourism. All of which are awesome if you’re into lobsters, blueberries, or lighthouses—but they’re also seasonal and often don’t pay as much as bigger city jobs.

Then there’s housing. WalletHub also found that Mainers are spending a big chunk of their income—about 42% if they rent—just to keep a roof over their heads. That’s a lot, and in result it makes the money that is coming in feel even tighter.

Add in some struggles with educational equity—WalletHub says Maine’s school districts rank low in funding fairness—it's unknown if those numbers were factored in based on the Trump administration pausing nearly $50 million in federal funding to Maine’s public university system earlier this year, affecting research grants and student aid — in part because of a Title IX dispute over transgender athletes in school sports. Maine has since won a court order to restore the funds and have since reached a settlement.

So yeah, according to WalletHub, it’s not just one thing holding back incomes in Maine. It’s a combo of rural life, job types, housing costs, and potential school funding that makes climbing the income ladder here a little tricky.

Here's how things shook out with the rest of the country.