Cargo and Freight Agents in Maine
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$40,550
after federal, FICA and Maine tax
Tax takes
$9,790
19.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$41,763
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
$50,340
Kept after tax
$40,550
Worth in national money
$41,763
State rank
25
of 48 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Maine is 25 of 48 states for cargo and freight agents, with a middle wage of $50,340. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 484 occupations Maine reports figures for, this is number 305.
- No great distortion either way. Maine costs about what the country costs, so from $50,340, take-home of $40,550 is worth roughly $41,763 in national money. The average comes to $55,930, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Maine ranks 25 of 48 for cargo and freight agents at $50,340. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Maine's occupational distribution, cargo and freight agents sits at 305 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.
- Price parity in Maine is near the national base, so for cargo and freight agents, whose median is $50,340, the adjusted figure of $41,763 differs little from $40,550 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $55,930 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Cargo and Freight Agents
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $45,520 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $50,340 |
| Top tenth earn over | $67,100 |
| This salary | $50,340 |
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 | $40,550 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $42,628 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,105 |
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 | $47,754 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$2,546 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 97 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of cargo and freight agents in Maine earn under $50,340 and half over. The published range runs $45,520 at the tenth percentile to $67,100 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Maine the take-home figure of $40,550, from $50,340, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 305 of 484 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Maine, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $41,763, the adjusted value of that $50,340 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 305 of 484 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for cargo and freight agents in Maine, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $45,520 to $67,100; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Maine is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $40,550 from $50,340. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 305 of 484 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Maine, so $41,763 — the adjusted value of that $50,340 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 305 of 484 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
No — it is the middle. Half of these workers earn more and half earn less. The average is $55,930, pulled upward by the top of the range, which is why the middle is the fairer number to plan against.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $45,520 at the tenth percentile, $67,100 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Maine sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $41,763 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Maine's own levy, $40,550 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 48 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Maine is $55,930. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($45,520 to $67,100) 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 $41,763 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 $40,550 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.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 48 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.