What is the real (cost-adjusted) Police Officer salary in Maine?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.0 for Maine), the real-wage equivalent is $66,688 — what the $65,330 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $61,553 to $76,242.

What does the top of the Police Officer pay scale look like in Maine?

The 90th percentile lands at $84,270. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $74,690.

How many Police Officers does Maine employ?

BLS OES counts 1,930 Police Officers 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.

Why is the BEA RPP for Maine different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Maine's overall index of 98.0 reflects rents 80.4, services 148.2, and goods 98.3.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Is pension included in BLS police officer pay for Maine?

No — BLS OEWS measures W-2 wage and salary income only. The defined-benefit pension is the single largest piece of police compensation and BLS never captures it. Maine police pension formulas typically pay 50-75% of final-3-year average salary after 20-25 years of service, with most plans allowing retirement at 50-55. Including pension's actuarial present value, total police compensation in Maine runs 30-50% above the BLS-reported figure.

Does court time and off-duty security work appear in BLS for Maine police?

Court appearances on off-duty time and overtime hours show up in W-2, so BLS captures them. Off-duty security details (banks, schools, sporting events, construction sites) are typically paid through department-administered programs and run through W-2 — those are captured. Independently arranged moonlighting that bypasses department channels is not. Maine departments with high paid-detail volume (urban centers, college towns) push BLS-reported pay 10-25% above smaller jurisdictions in the same state.

2026 Police Officer Salary — Maine ($65K BLS, RPP-Adjusted Real Wage)

TL;DR

Median Police Officer salary in Maine: $65,330 nominal, $66,688 real (BEA RPP basis).
Bottom quartile $60,300, top quartile $74,690. The P90 ($84,270) is roughly 1.5× the P10 ($54,660).
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
Nominal: #33/51 · Real: #36/51 — ranking shifts by 3 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Maine

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$54,660	$55,796
P25 (lower quartile)	$60,300	$61,553
P50 (median)	$65,330	$66,688
P75 (upper quartile)	$74,690	$76,242
P90 (top tier)	$84,270	$86,021
Mean	$68,100	$69,515
Employment	1,930 Police Officers 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 (Police Officer)	$65,330	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,702	8.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,177	5.8–7.15% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,998	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$51,454	78.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$52,523	÷ (98.0 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Maine state-tax burden means for Police Officer take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $51,454 (78.8% of gross). After the 98.0 RPP, real take-home is $52,523.

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 $76,290 for Police Officers with mean pay of $79,320 and total employment of 666,990. Maine sits at #33 on nominal pay and #36 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Maine falls 3 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Police Officer salary in Maine?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.0 for Maine), the real-wage equivalent is $66,688 — what the $65,330 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $61,553 to $76,242.
What does the top of the Police Officer pay scale look like in Maine?: The 90th percentile lands at $84,270. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $74,690.
How many Police Officers does Maine employ?: BLS OES counts 1,930 Police Officers 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.
Why is the BEA RPP for Maine different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Maine's overall index of 98.0 reflects rents 80.4, services 148.2, and goods 98.3.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Is pension included in BLS police officer pay for Maine?: No — BLS OEWS measures W-2 wage and salary income only. The defined-benefit pension is the single largest piece of police compensation and BLS never captures it. Maine police pension formulas typically pay 50-75% of final-3-year average salary after 20-25 years of service, with most plans allowing retirement at 50-55. Including pension's actuarial present value, total police compensation in Maine runs 30-50% above the BLS-reported figure.
Does court time and off-duty security work appear in BLS for Maine police?: Court appearances on off-duty time and overtime hours show up in W-2, so BLS captures them. Off-duty security details (banks, schools, sporting events, construction sites) are typically paid through department-administered programs and run through W-2 — those are captured. Independently arranged moonlighting that bypasses department channels is not. Maine departments with high paid-detail volume (urban centers, college towns) push BLS-reported pay 10-25% above smaller jurisdictions in the same state.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 33-3051, 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 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Maine Police Officer 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.