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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.0 for Maine), the real-wage equivalent is $84,582 — what the $82,860 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $78,488 to $100,037.

How many RNs does Maine employ?

BLS OES counts 16,280 RNs 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 RN 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 $66,330 to $104,870. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Maine?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Maine.

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.

How does specialty (ICU, OR, NICU, ER, L&D) affect RN pay in Maine?

BLS reports a single 'Registered Nurses' SOC code (29-1141), so the figures on this page are not specialty-segmented. In practice, ICU, NICU, and OR roles in Maine typically pay 8-15% above the all-RN median; L&D and ER vary by hospital system. Travel-RN contracts can substantially exceed staff rates during demand spikes.

Maine Registered Nurse Salary: BLS $83K Median, Real $85K (2026)

TL;DR

Median RN salary in Maine: $82,860 nominal, $84,582 real (BEA RPP basis).
State ranks #29 nationally on nominal wage, #48 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
Quartile range $76,890 (bottom 25%) to $98,000 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $66,330 to $104,870.
Maine is an NLC compact state — RNs holding a multistate license can practice across compact states without re-applying.

Wage breakdown — Maine

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$66,330	$67,709
P25 (lower quartile)	$76,890	$78,488
P50 (median)	$82,860	$84,582
P75 (upper quartile)	$98,000	$100,037
P90 (top tier)	$104,870	$107,050
Mean	$87,440	$89,257
Employment	16,280 RNs 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 (RN)	$82,860	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$9,476	11.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,387	5.8–7.15% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,339	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$62,658	75.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$63,961	÷ (98.0 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.3% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $62,658 (75.6% of gross). After the 98.0 RPP, real take-home is $63,961.

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 $93,600 for RNs with mean pay of $98,430 and total employment of 3,282,010. Maine sits at #29 on nominal pay and #48 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Maine falls 19 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Licensure — Maine (NLC)

Maine participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), with effective participation since 2017. RNs holding a multistate license issued by another Compact state may practice in Maine without applying for a separate Maine license. Maine-issued multistate licenses are reciprocally recognized in 36 other Compact states (37 jurisdictions total in 2026), eliminating the per-state endorsement workflow ($100–$500 + 4–16 week processing) for travel and per-diem RN work.

Maine has been a Compact participant for 9 years as of 2026, putting it among the long-tenured members where the Compact pathway is the established norm at most employers and travel agencies.

Source: NCSBN compact implementation tracker — re-synced quarterly. See NLC reciprocity hub for the cross-state matrix and changelog for status changes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) RN salary in Maine?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.0 for Maine), the real-wage equivalent is $84,582 — what the $82,860 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $78,488 to $100,037.
How many RNs does Maine employ?: BLS OES counts 16,280 RNs 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 RN 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 $66,330 to $104,870. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Maine?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Maine.
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.
How does specialty (ICU, OR, NICU, ER, L&D) affect RN pay in Maine?: BLS reports a single 'Registered Nurses' SOC code (29-1141), so the figures on this page are not specialty-segmented. In practice, ICU, NICU, and OR roles in Maine typically pay 8-15% above the all-RN median; L&D and ER vary by hospital system. Travel-RN contracts can substantially exceed staff rates during demand spikes.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 29-1141, 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 RN 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.