$19 an Hour in Maine — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $19/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $39,520. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Maine state income tax, your take-home pay is $15.66/hr. In Maine's medium cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Maine.

Gross Annual
$39,520
Net Annual
$32,576
Net Monthly
$2,715
Net Hourly
$15.66

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $19.00 $3.34 $15.66
Daily (8 hrs) $152.00 $26.71 $125.29
Weekly (40 hrs) $760.00 $133.54 $626.46
Biweekly $1,520.00 $267.08 $1,252.92
Monthly $3,293.33 $578.67 $2,714.66
Annual $39,520 $6,944 $32,576

Full Tax Breakdown — Maine, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $19/hr × 2,080 hrs $39,520
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $23,420
Federal Income Tax 6.5% −$2,562.40
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$2,450.24
Medicare (1.45%) −$573.04
Maine Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Maine State Income Tax 3.4% −$1,358.36
Total Tax 17.6% effective −$6,944.04
Net Take-Home $32,576

How Does Maine Compare?

See how $19/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$19/hr = $39,520/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

Adjacent Rates in Maine

Same Rate, Other States

Cost of Living in Maine

✗ Difficult — $19/hr falls short in Maine
  • Avg 1BR rent in Portland: $1,300/mo — over the 30% rule (39% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Maine: $42,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $32,576 ($9,424 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$19/hr

Working at $19/hr in Maine

This is a livable income in Maine outside Portland's premium neighborhoods. Healthcare and tourism both create employment at this level. Maine's progressive tax structure means the effective state rate at mid-income is around 5–6%.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 84 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Portland (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.3x Maine's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Maine is 17.6% -- federal income tax accounts for 6.5%, FICA 7.6%, and Maine state tax 3.4%.

Maine's economy is driven by tourism, fishing, forestry, healthcare, and a growing remote-work population. Portland has emerged as a foodie and creative economy hub. The state struggles with an aging population and workforce shortages in many sectors.

Maine has a progressive income tax with a top rate of 7.15%. The state mirrors the federal standard deduction. Maine also has significant property taxes, especially in coastal areas.

Maine's minimum wage is $14.65/hr (2026), indexed to inflation.

Monthly Budget on $19/hr in Maine

Based on $2,715/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Maine's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,300 $15,600 47.9%
Food (groceries + dining) $326 $3,912 12.0%
Transportation $271 $3,252 10.0%
Utilities $163 $1,956 6.0%
Healthcare $136 $1,632 5.0%
Entertainment $136 $1,632 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $271 $3,252 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $112 $1,344 4.1%

Overtime Pay — $19/hr in Maine

At time-and-a-half ($28.50/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Maine. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~19.3%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $143 $115 $5,750
10 hrs/week $285 $230 $11,500
20 hrs/week $570 $460 $23,000

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $19/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $15.66 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 2.7 hrs 3.2 hrs
Week of groceries $120 6.4 hrs 7.7 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 42.1 hrs 51.1 hrs
1 month rent (Portland) $1,300 68.5 hrs 83.1 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 526.4 hrs 638.6 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2526.4 hrs 3064.9 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

19 an hour -- is it a good wage in Maine?

19/hr in Maine gives you $32,576/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Maine. Avg 1BR rent in Portland: $1,300/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 19 an hour after taxes in Maine?

19/hr in Maine = $32,576/year or $2,715/month net. Effective rate: 17.6%.

How does 19/hr go further -- Maine or Texas?

19/hr in Maine has similar purchasing power to ~19/hr in Texas.

What does 19/hr look like as a monthly budget in Maine?

On $2,715/month in Maine: rent $1,300, food $326, transport $271, savings $271, surplus ~$112.

How much does overtime add at 19/hr in Maine?

At 1.5x (28.50/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$5,750/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$11,500/year.