{"schema_version": 1, "id": "lewiston-auburn-me-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 236, "label": "Lewiston-Auburn, ME MSA", "slug": "lewiston-auburn-me-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-09", "public_after": "2026-09-01", "frozen_at": "2026-10-09T13:40:33.389981+00:00", "headline": "Lewiston wages outrun the job count as population grows.", "headline_summary": "Lewiston-Auburn wages climbed 4.5% year-over-year to $31.94 an hour even as Androscoggin County added population faster than jobs, while statewide labor force participation slipped to 58.6%.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Metro unemployment rate", "value": "3.2%", "context": "Matches Maine average, below US 4.2%"}, {"label": "Metro average hourly earnings", "value": "$31.94", "context": "Up 4.5% YoY, vs 3.0% US wage growth"}, {"label": "Maine labor force participation", "value": "58.6%", "context": "Down 1.2 pts YoY, lowest in years"}, {"label": "Androscoggin County population gain", "value": "9,300+", "context": "Over past decade, amid net job losses"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Wages are rising faster locally than the job base is growing.", "body": "Lewiston-Auburn's 4.5% year-over-year wage growth outpaces Maine's 3.5% statewide rate and the national 3.0% figure, even as nonfarm payrolls statewide stayed flat for 28 straight months. This divergence may suggest employers are competing for a shrinking pool of available workers rather than expanding headcount broadly."}, {"headline": "Population growth and job growth have decoupled in Androscoggin County.", "body": "The county added more than 9,300 residents over the past decade while losing jobs on net, a pattern state analysts link to workers settling locally for housing affordability while commuting elsewhere for work. That structural gap matters for local retail and service spending capacity, independent of the metro's formal job count."}, {"headline": "Falling labor force participation is a quieter story than the headline unemployment rate.", "body": "Maine's participation rate dropped 1.2 percentage points over the past year to 58.6%, even as unemployment stayed historically low near 3.2%. Low joblessness paired with fewer people in the labor force points to a tightening effective labor supply that unemployment figures alone understate."}, {"headline": "Healthcare wage strength stands out against broader sector stability.", "body": "Registered nurse advertised pay in the metro rose to a median of $125,074, up significantly and well above the $102,581 national figure, consistent with sustained demand tied to the region's hospital and long-term care footprint. This outlier suggests healthcare remains the metro's clearest growth engine even as most other sectors hold steady."}], "local_conditions": "Lewiston-Auburn's unemployment rate held at 3.2% in August, tracking the statewide average, while average hourly earnings rose 4.5% year-over-year to $31.94 \u2014 a pace that outstrips the national wage trend even as Androscoggin County's workforce shows signs of strain from population growth outpacing job creation. That mismatch, paired with a statewide labor force participation rate that slipped to 58.6%, appears consistent with more residents arriving than the local job base is absorbing, a dynamic distinct from the national slowdown where September payrolls added just 29,000 jobs against a weakening wage-inflation gap.", "implications": "Local wage growth outpacing the national 3.0% rate suggests Lewiston-Auburn's labor market remains comparatively tight despite statewide job stagnation, a signal that commerce and economic development leaders can treat as a sign of underlying business confidence rather than overheating risk. Falling labor force participation alongside Androscoggin County's net population gains points to a supply-side puzzle worth tracking for workforce planning and infrastructure investment decisions \u2014 commerce leaders should consider evaluating whether housing and commuting patterns, not job availability, are the binding constraint on local labor supply.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Expected data release", "body": "Maine's September 2026 workforce estimates publish October 20 and will show whether the state's 28-month streak of flat payrolls near 660,000 jobs finally breaks in either direction."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Lewiston's city council weighed layoffs of three to eight government positions and a hiring freeze earlier this year to balance its 2027 budget; any follow-through would be a modest but visible test of public-sector payroll stability in the metro."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Maine's minimum wage rises to $15.70 in 2027, a change that will compress wage differentials in lower-paying metro sectors like retail and food service, where local advertised pay has already been trending down this month."}, {"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Watch whether Androscoggin County's commuting pattern \u2014 residents living locally but working elsewhere \u2014 shows up in upcoming county-level wage and residence data, which would clarify whether the metro's job count understates real local economic activity."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29693.0, "metro_p50": 33738.0, "metro_p75": 36400.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33325.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31093.0, "metro_p50": 32552.0, "metro_p75": 34320.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 31200.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 37237.0, "metro_p50": 43680.0, "metro_p75": 43680.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 38000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 55023.5, "metro_p50": 80600.0, "metro_p75": 88660.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 78000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32834.0, "metro_p50": 37104.8, "metro_p75": 45760.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 34344.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 37535.25, "metro_p50": 47840.0, "metro_p75": 47840.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 40560.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 67556.0, "metro_p50": 78424.0, "metro_p75": 89919.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71404.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 33280.0, "metro_p50": 40560.0, "metro_p75": 47450.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 34426.0, "metro_p50": 40000.0, "metro_p75": 45110.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Food Service Worker", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31534.0, "metro_p50": 35501.0, "metro_p75": 35782.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33756.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 36979.0, "metro_p50": 49920.0, "metro_p75": 53279.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 41106.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 38428.25, "metro_p50": 44795.2, "metro_p75": 50130.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 43680.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 41246.0, "metro_p50": 61432.0, "metro_p75": 65974.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 70720.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 98689.0, "metro_p50": 125074.0, "metro_p75": 132500.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 102581.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 101473.0, "metro_p50": 123902.8, "metro_p75": 128741.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 153652.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 83567.0, "metro_p50": 83595.0, "metro_p75": 106845.75, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 139500.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 58490.0, "metro_p50": 64938.0, "metro_p75": 66900.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 72182.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 74966.0, "metro_p50": 87823.4, "metro_p75": 93152.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 94782.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 54080.0, "metro_p50": 64395.0, "metro_p75": 72030.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 51153.5, "metro_p50": 64653.0, "metro_p75": 71738.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 62354.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 75689.25, "metro_p50": 84816.2, "metro_p75": 88727.75, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 85216.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 45903.0, "metro_p50": 57233.6, "metro_p75": 61338.25, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 56731.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 65694.75, "metro_p50": 85966.0, "metro_p75": 93343.75, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 92749.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 60320.0, "metro_p50": 60320.0, "metro_p75": 60320.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 80263.0, "metro_p50": 110000.0, "metro_p75": 114511.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 98279.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 67964.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 54369.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 36972.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 48500.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 90000.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 77220.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 85000.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 59390.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 39273.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 66955.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}], "citations": [], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "October 2026", "files": {"html": "lewiston-auburn-me-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "pdf": "lewiston-auburn-me-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf", "sources_html": "lewiston-auburn-me-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-10-09T14:32:10.729208+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/lewiston-auburn-me-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/lewiston-auburn-me-msa/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf"}