What does a Firefighter salary really buy you in Maine?
Maine is near the US average cost of livingData: BLS OEWS 2024 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-03-31
Maine's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 100.8, meaning prices are 0.8% higher the national average. A Firefighter earning $47,490 in Maine has the equivalent purchasing power of $47,113 in an average-cost US state.
Every dollar goes further in low-cost states. Here is how each salary percentile compares after adjusting for Maine's cost of living.
| Percentile | Nominal Salary | COL-Adjusted | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $33,900 | $33,630 | $-269 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $39,530 | $39,216 | $-313 |
| Median (P50) | $47,490 | $47,113 | $-376 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $58,690 | $58,224 | $-465 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $63,040 | $62,539 | $-500 |
Maine's cost of living is close to the national average, so $47,490 keeps most of its value at $47,113 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
Where does Firefighter salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Maine ranks #42 out of 49 states for Firefighter after cost-of-living adjustment.
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A Firefighter in Maine earns a median salary of $47,490 per year. After adjusting for Maine's cost of living (RPP=100.8), the real purchasing power is $47,113 — a -0.8% difference.
Maine's cost of living is 0.8% higher than the national average according to the BEA Regional Price Parities (2022). The RPP index for Maine is 100.8 (US average = 100).
Regional Price Parities (RPPs) are price indexes published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that measure differences in price levels across states. They are expressed as a percentage of the national average (US = 100). Higher RPP means higher cost of living.
The adjusted salary is calculated as: Nominal Salary x (100 / RPP). For a Firefighter in Maine: $47,490 x (100 / 100.8) = $47,113. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.