Portland minimum wage
Minimum wage in Portland, Maine, in effect since January 1, 2026
$16.75 an hour
Portland sets its own minimum wage, $1.65 above the Maine rate of $15.10. Employers in Portland pay the higher local rate.
Next increase: $17.75 on January 1, 2027.
Tipped employees
Employers in Portland can pay tipped employees a cash wage of $8.38 an hour, taking a tip credit of up to $8.37, as long as tips bring the employee to at least $16.75 for every hour worked. If they don't, the employer makes up the difference.
Scheduled increases
| Effective date | Standard rate | Tipped cash wage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 (current) | $16.75 | $8.38 | In effect |
| January 1, 2027 | $17.75 | — | Set in law City Code chapter 33, sec. 33-7 (rev. 11-4-2025, after the November 4, 2025 referendum). The service-employee cash wage is not printed; the tip credit may be up to half the minimum wage. |
| January 1, 2028 | $19.00 | — | Set in law |
How future increases are set
From January 1, 2029, adjusted each January 1 by CPI-U (Northeast), rounded to the nearest 5 cents; rises to the state rate if Maine's is ever higher.
Exceptions and details
- Service (tipped) employees: at least $8.38 an hour in cash wages; the tip credit may be no more than half the minimum wage.
- While an emergency order is in effect, Portland's minimum wage is 1.5 times the regular rate.
- City of Portland employees moved to $16.75 on July 1, 2026.
Other local minimum wages in Maine
- Rockland $16.00
Running payroll in Portland?
Recent changes
Last verified against the official source on October 8, 2026.
No changes recorded since we started tracking this page.
Sources
- City of Portland, Maine · data as of January 1, 2026 · last checked October 8, 2026
We copy figures from official sources and re-check them against the source before every update. See our methodology. This is general information, not legal advice.