Yup, it's true.

On January 1, Maine's minimum wage took another step up. Mainers who make money at the minimum wage level just got another annual boost from the state. The new hourly wage in Maine is now $12.75 per hour. That's only up a smidge from previous years, where it was going up at the rate of $1 a year since 2017, according to WABI.

Folks who work 40 hours a week at the new rate will make $510 a week before taxes. Likely, most folks would probably see about $400 a week take home. Of course, that can vary for folks who have dependents or for some reason have their wages garnished. But even then, those folks might still see a bit extra in their pockets.

Living on minimum wage is hard.

No joke... I won't candy coat this. Folks who have this kind of income definitely still have a hard time making ends meet. Two incomes at that level would still only be just over $50K a year. That sounds like a lot more money than it is, for sure. With the cost of living these days, trying to support a family on that is beyond difficult.

If there's any silver lining, it's that there's such a labor shortage right now. Most folks are being paid well over the state's minimum wage. However, all this has also made people freak out less about the rising wage. When most folks are starting jobs in the neighborhood of $15.00+ an hour, nobody seems to be complaining much.

For folks making mostly tips, your new wage will be $6.38 per hour. And they didn't forget about you folks on salary either. If you're on salary, the new state minimum for that is now about $38,250. We're definitely moving in the right direction. It's nice to see Mainers getting closer to what we all deserve..... A living wage.

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