How much does a Lawyer make in Maine?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $100,340 for Lawyers in Maine as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $78,870 and the 75th-percentile is $142,540.

How many Lawyers does Maine employ?

BLS OES counts 2,080 Lawyers employed in Maine in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Maine rank for Lawyer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Maine ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in Maine?

P10 to P90 spans $59,370 to $209,920. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Is Maine a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Lawyers?

No — Maine's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

Does the BLS lawyer median include partner profit-share in Maine?

No — BLS OEWS captures W-2 wage and salary income only. Equity-partner distributions at law firms are reported on K-1 (partnership income), not W-2, and are excluded entirely. In Maine BigLaw and major regional firms, this means the BLS-reported median understates total compensation for the partnership tier substantially: P90 partner draw often runs 3-10× the BLS-reported P90 once profits-per-equity-partner are factored in. The BLS figure on this page accurately represents salaried associates, of-counsel, and staff attorneys; it does not represent equity-partner income.

Is the Maine bar reciprocity (admission on motion / UBE) factor relevant to pay?

Yes — Maine's admission-on-motion rules (or UBE-score portability) determine whether out-of-state lawyers can practice without re-sitting the bar exam, which affects labor-supply elasticity for senior roles. Maine markets that allow broad admission on motion typically see less premium for in-state-only attorneys at the lateral level. The DeepComps Bar Admission Reciprocity by State page (linked under license reciprocity) tracks current rules; states with strict re-sit requirements show more pay compression for incoming senior laterals.

Lawyer Pay in Maine: $100K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

$100,340 is the BLS median wage for Lawyers in Maine; $102,425 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Quartile range $78,870 (bottom 25%) to $142,540 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $59,370 to $209,920.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
Lawyer ranking: #45 on the BLS table, #49 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — Maine

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$59,370	$60,604
P25 (lower quartile)	$78,870	$80,509
P50 (median)	$100,340	$102,425
P75 (upper quartile)	$142,540	$145,502
P90 (top tier)	$209,920	$214,283
Mean	$122,810	$125,362
Employment	2,080 Lawyers in Maine

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Maine index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	98.0
Goods	98.3
Services	148.2
Rents	80.4

Maine's overall RPP (98.0) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Maine (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Lawyer)	$100,340	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,322	13.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,637	5.8–7.15% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,676	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$73,706	73.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$75,237	÷ (98.0 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Maine state-tax burden means for Lawyer take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.6% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $73,706 (73.5% of gross). After the 98.0 RPP, real take-home is $75,237.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $151,160 for Lawyers with mean pay of $182,760 and total employment of 747,750. Maine sits at #45 on nominal pay and #49 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Maine falls 4 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Lawyer make in Maine?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $100,340 for Lawyers in Maine as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $78,870 and the 75th-percentile is $142,540.
How many Lawyers does Maine employ?: BLS OES counts 2,080 Lawyers employed in Maine in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Maine rank for Lawyer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Maine ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in Maine?: P10 to P90 spans $59,370 to $209,920. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Maine a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Lawyers?: No — Maine's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
Does the BLS lawyer median include partner profit-share in Maine?: No — BLS OEWS captures W-2 wage and salary income only. Equity-partner distributions at law firms are reported on K-1 (partnership income), not W-2, and are excluded entirely. In Maine BigLaw and major regional firms, this means the BLS-reported median understates total compensation for the partnership tier substantially: P90 partner draw often runs 3-10× the BLS-reported P90 once profits-per-equity-partner are factored in. The BLS figure on this page accurately represents salaried associates, of-counsel, and staff attorneys; it does not represent equity-partner income.
Is the Maine bar reciprocity (admission on motion / UBE) factor relevant to pay?: Yes — Maine's admission-on-motion rules (or UBE-score portability) determine whether out-of-state lawyers can practice without re-sitting the bar exam, which affects labor-supply elasticity for senior roles. Maine markets that allow broad admission on motion typically see less premium for in-state-only attorneys at the lateral level. The DeepComps Bar Admission Reciprocity by State page (linked under license reciprocity) tracks current rules; states with strict re-sit requirements show more pay compression for incoming senior laterals.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 23-1011, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-07.

Cross-comparison: see how Maine Lawyer pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.