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What does a Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators salary really buy you in Maine?
Maine is near the US average cost of livingData: BLS OEWS 2025 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-05-19
Maine's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 100.8, meaning prices are 0.8% higher the national average. A Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators earning $57,020 in Maine has the equivalent purchasing power of $56,567 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) | $45,650 | $45,287 | $-362 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $49,590 | $49,196 | $-393 |
| Median (P50) | $57,020 | $56,567 | $-452 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $74,670 | $74,077 | $-592 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $89,100 | $88,392 | $-707 |
Maine's cost of living is close to the national average, so $57,020 keeps most of its value at $56,567 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
With an RPP of 100.8, Maine is within a few percent of the national cost-of-living baseline. Salary adjustment for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators is therefore minor — what you earn is close to what you'd keep in real purchasing power.
After adjusting for Maine's cost of living, $57,020 nominal nets out to $56,567 in real purchasing power — a small 0.8% loss. The state's cost profile is close enough to average that COL alone shouldn't drive location decisions for this Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators.
Maine's rank of #26 of 50 states means real purchasing power for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators trails the national half-way line.
Where does Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Maine ranks #26 out of 50 states for Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators take-home pay in Maine after taxes →
A Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators in Maine earns a median salary of $57,020 per year. After adjusting for Maine's cost of living (RPP=100.8), the real purchasing power is $56,567 — 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 Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators in Maine: $57,020 x (100 / 100.8) = $56,567. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
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