How many jobs were added in Maine last month?
Refreshed monthly
Maine gained 1,700 jobs in September 2026, ranking it 14th among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 635 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+1.7K
month to month change in number of jobs (September 2026)
14th
rank among states in monthly job growth (September 2026)
Maine’s job growth of 1,700 in September 2026 was a directional change from the previous month. The latest monthly job change was up from the 0 loss in August 2026.
During the latest five year period (October 2021 to September 2026), Maine gained jobs in 31 out of 60 months. September 2026 had the 15th-highest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in July 2022 (+5,700) while job growth was weakest in October 2025 (-4,100).
There were 1,700 more jobs in September 2026 in Maine than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, October 2021–September 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Maine sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in September 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in September 2026 were accommodation and food services, health care and social assistance, and private educational services. Accommodation and food services added 1,000 jobs. Health care and social assistance gained 400 jobs, while private educational services added 400. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were other services, local government, and state government. other services lost 300 jobs in September 2026, while local government lost 200 jobs and state government lost 200 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector gained 400 jobs during September 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Maine (September 2026)
How has Maine's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, Maine lost an average of 217 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 625, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as fourth-lowest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 1,300 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 1,200 on average every month in 2022.
In 2025, Maine lost an average of 217 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among three metro areas primarily in Maine during September 2026 ranged from a loss of 500 jobs in the Bangor, ME area to a gain of 2,600 jobs in the Portland, ME area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Maine
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +2,600 | |
| 2. | +0 | |
| 3. | -500 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
