Maine energy profile

Manufacturing energy costs in Maine

As of Jul 2026, industrial electricity in Maine runs 13.94 cents per kWh. That is 42.7% more expensive than the U.S. average and places the state 41 of 51 nationally.

Current prices in Maine

  • Industrial electricity: 13.94 cents per kWh (Jul 2026, EIA).
  • Commercial electricity, the rate a warehouse or distribution center in Maine typically pays: 21.64 cents per kWh.
  • Maine does not report an industrial natural gas price for the latest month; plants there should use their utility contract rate.
  • Just below Maine on the price ladder: Delaware at 11.71, Illinois at 11.87, Vermont at 13.07 cents. Just above: New Jersey at 15.63, Maryland at 16.21, Connecticut at 17.29 cents.

What the rate does to operating cost

  • A 10 kW machine running a 4,000 hour year costs about 5,576 in electricity at Maine rates versus 3,908 at the national average; at 50 kW the gap is 27,880 versus 19,540, and at 200 kW it is 111,520 versus 78,160.
  • Power costs here punish waste. In Maine, load-shifting, waste heat recovery, and idle-time elimination pay back quicker than the national math suggests, and quotes for energy-heavy work should use the local rate, not a national default.

What factory labor pays in Maine

  • Industrial production managers: $60.01/hr median in Maine versus $60.61 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Industrial engineers: $48.57/hr median in Maine versus $49.25 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Tool and die makers: $38.42/hr median in Maine versus $30.79 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Production supervisors: $37.97/hr median in Maine versus $35.79 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Industrial machinery mechanics: $34.77/hr median in Maine versus $31.02 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Welders, cutters, and brazers: $29.92/hr median in Maine versus $25.84 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Maine employs about 52,000 manufacturing workers as of Aug 2026 (BLS).

Manufacturing base in Maine

  • Maine has 1,700 manufacturing establishments employing about 57,987 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).
  • Largest sectors by establishment count: food manufacturing (254), fabricated metal products (241), wood product manufacturing (174), printing and related support (111), transportation equipment (100).

Sources and update cadence

  • Prices come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and refresh automatically when the agency publishes; this page also archives each month's Maine observation so the local price history deepens over time.

Last reviewed 2026-09-24.