Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists in Maine
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$48,286
after federal, FICA and Maine tax
Tax takes
$12,564
20.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$49,729
Maine costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Maine — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$60,850
Kept after tax
$48,286
Worth in national money
$49,729
State rank
28
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Maine sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $60,850, ranking 28 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 484 occupations Maine reports figures for, this is number 232.
- Prices here sit close to the national average, so the adjustment changes little. From $60,850 the take-home is $48,286, which is worth about $49,729 in comparable money. Tax does most of the work here, not cost of living. The average is higher, $62,230, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Maine occupies the middle band for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists: a median of $60,850, ranking 28 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- In Maine's occupational distribution, bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists sits at 232 of 484 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Maine's price level is near the national average, so price deflation is close to neutral for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists on its $60,850 median: $48,286 retained after tax becomes $49,729 in national-average terms. Where the price adjustment is small, the tax stack is the dominant determinant of the real outcome. The mean of $62,230 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $45,760 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $60,850 |
| Top tenth earn over | $79,450 |
| This salary | $60,850 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Maine | $48,286 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $51,073 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,828 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $57,381 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$3,421 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 97 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Maine earn less than $60,850. The published range is $45,760 up to $79,450, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Maine's $48,286, worked from $60,850. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 232 of 484.
- One number stands for prices across all of Maine, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $49,729, the adjusted value of that $60,850 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 232 of 484 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists in Maine the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $45,760 to $79,450. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Maine take-home of $48,286, on $60,850 for work ranking 232 of 484 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 232 of 484 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Maine, so $49,729 — the adjusted value of that $60,850 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 232 of 484 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $45,760 at the bottom tenth to $79,450 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Maine is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $49,729 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Maine then takes its own share, leaving $48,286.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($45,760 to $79,450) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Maine rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Maine's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $49,729 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $48,286 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Maine income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.