Maine Employment Situation - January 2026

The Employment Situation in Maine - January 2026

April 8, 2026

Released: 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Contact: Mark McInerney, 207-620-0197

The Employment Situation in Maine - January 2026

The 3.3 percent unemployment rate has not changed in the last 13 months. Nonfarm wage and salary jobs have been near 660,000 for the last 21 months. These indications follow annual revisions to data for prior years. In 2025 there was an average of 4,600 more jobs and unemployment was modestly lower in the first half of the year than previously estimated. In 2024 there was an average of 2,100 more jobs and unemployment was modestly lower in the latter months. An article comparing previously published to revised data is here - https://www.maine.gov/labor/cwri/sites/maine.gov.labor.cwri/files/publications/2026-04/2026 workforce data_revisions.pdf.

Notes: These estimates are derived from two monthly surveys. The Current Population Survey collects information from households on labor force status, including labor force participation, employment, and unemployment. The Current Employment Statistics survey collects information from nonfarm employers by industry on the number of wage and salary jobs, hours worked, and wages paid to individuals on their payrolls. Both surveys are administered by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Preliminary estimates from the two surveys sometimes diverge in direction or magnitude of change. Over extended periods they tend to be more aligned. The Current Population Survey of households was not conducted during the federal government shutdown that began in October 2025, no labor force estimates are available for that month.

Seasonally Adjusted Statewide Labor Force Estimates

The 3.3 percent unemployment rate for January remained unchanged for the 13th consecutive month. Unemployment has been below four percent for 49 months, equaling the previous long that ended in the spring of 2020. Maine's unemployment rate has been below the U.S. average for more than 17 years, and below the long-term average of 5.4 percent for the state since 1976.

Labor force participation and employment rates were little changed. Unemployment averaged 4.3 percent for New England and 4.3 percent for the U.S. in the month.

Note on Preliminary Unemployment Estimates: They should be considered in the context of whether they are below, near, or above historical or U.S. averages, rather than if they are up or down a few tenths of a point from some other month. The household survey sample they are derived from is large enough for direct estimates for the nation. For states it is much smaller and statistical modeling is used to prevent large single-month changes that may overstate the magnitude or the direction of changes in labor market conditions.

One result of this is that preliminary unemployment rates for Maine tend to follow an undulating pattern, moving in one direction for several months and then the other through the course of a year. Revisions, published annually in March, have consistently smoothed these patterns. Upward or downward changes in preliminary unemployment or labor force participation rates often are not as indicative of improvement or deterioration in conditions as may appear. Though rates for many months will change when revised, unemployment rates for 2025 and to date in 2026 certainly will remain well below the long-term and national averages.

Seasonally Adjusted Statewide Nonfarm Jobs Estimates

Preliminary seasonally adjusted estimates indicate nonfarm wage and salary jobs increased in January from one month ago. Jobs added in the health care and social assistance sector contributed most to the over-the-month increase.

In the last year, jobs decreased modestly. Decreases in employment occurring primarily in the retail trade sector, the professional and business services sector and in federal government were offset somewhat by increases in the health care and social assistance sector. Jobs have been near 660,000 (within 0.5 percentage points) since April 2024.

Not Seasonally Adjusted County and Metro Area Labor Force Estimates

On a not seasonally adjusted basis the statewide unemployment rate was 3.9 percent. Rates were at least 0.3 percentage points higher than that in seven counties, at least 0.3 points lower than that in three, and close to the average in six. Rates were lowest in southern and mid-coast counties and highest along the northern rim of the state.

Among the three metro areas, unemployment was below the statewide average in Portland-S. Portland and Lewiston-Auburn, and close to the average in Bangor.

(Labor force estimates for substate areas, including unemployment rates, are not seasonally adjusted. Because of this, estimates for a certain month should be compared to the same month in other years and should not be compared to other months in the same or other years.)

Not Seasonally Adjusted Statewide and Metro Area Hours and Earnings Estimates

The private sector workweek averaged 33.1 hours and earnings averaged $33.39 per hour in January. Average hours changed little, and hourly earnings increased 3.0 percent from a year ago. The workweek was longest in the construction and manufacturing sectors and shortest in the leisure and hospitality sector. Earnings were highest in professional and business services and lowest in leisure and hospitality.

Hourly earnings were above the statewide average in Portland-S. Portland and below it in the Bangor and Lewiston-Auburn metros.

February 2026 workforce estimates will be published on Wednesday April 22, 2026. The complete 2026 data release schedule is available here - https://www.maine.gov/labor/cwri/news-and-publications/news-release/data-release-schedule

Nonfarm jobs data is available here - https://www.maine.gov/labor/cwri/dashboards/nonfarm-jobs

Unemployment and labor force data is available here - https://www.maine.gov/labor/cwri/dashboards/unemployment-and-labor-force-estimates

NOTES:

1. Preliminary seasonally adjusted labor force estimates, including rates (labor force participation, employment, and unemployment rates), and levels (labor force, employed, and unemployed), as well as nonfarm wage and salary job estimates are inexact. Annual revisions (published in March each year) add accuracy. A comparison of 2025 and 2024 previously published to revised estimates is available in this article - https://www.maine.gov/labor/cwri/sites/maine.gov.labor.cwri/files/publications/2026-04/2026 workforce data_revisions.pdf.
2. The 90 percent confidence interval for the statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January was between 2.7 and 3.9 percent.
3. Nonfarm wage and salary jobs from the payroll survey provide a better indication of changes in employment than resident employment from the household survey. The payroll survey is larger and has smaller margins of error.
4. Nonfarm payroll jobs estimates tend to be variable from month to month because the representativeness of reporting employers can differ. Seasonal adjustment is imperfect because weather, the beginning and ending of school semesters, and other events do not always occur with the same timing relative to the pay period that includes the 12th day of the month, which is the survey reference period. This sometimes exacerbates monthly changes in jobs estimates. Users should look to trends over multiple months rather than change from one specific month to another. Jobs estimates for the period from April 2025 to September 2026 will be replaced with payroll data in March 2027. Those benchmark revisions usually show less monthly variability than previously published estimates.

Supporting documents

January 2026 Jobs Report Images (PDF)