Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic in Maine
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$39,299
after federal, FICA and Maine tax
Tax takes
$9,341
19.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$40,474
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
$48,640
Kept after tax
$39,299
Worth in national money
$40,474
State rank
13
of 48 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. Maine pays this job a middle wage of $48,640, ranking 13 of 48 states and sitting about 5.35% above the national middle.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 484 occupations Maine reports figures for, this is number 328.
- Cost of living is unremarkable here. From $48,640, tax leaves $39,299, and adjusting for local prices barely moves it — about $40,474 in comparable terms. Here the average runs under the middle, at $48,410.
- Maine's median for molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic is $48,640, about 5.35% above the national figure and 13 of 48 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- In Maine's occupational distribution, molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic sits at 328 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.
- Because Maine sits close to the national price level, the real-terms figure for molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic — median $48,640 — tracks the post-tax figure closely: $39,299 retained, $40,474 adjusted. ⚠️ Neither is a wage; the second describes what the first buys. Mean pay of $48,410 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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Pay band: Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $42,080 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $48,640 |
| Top tenth earn over | $57,540 |
| This salary | $48,640 |
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 | $39,299 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $41,262 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,988 |
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 | $46,197 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$2,404 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 97 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $48,640 as a midpoint for Maine, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $42,080 and the ninetieth is $57,540 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Maine the take-home figure of $39,299, from $48,640, 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 328 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 $40,474, the adjusted value of that $48,640 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 328 of 484 in the state.
- The Maine median of $48,640 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $42,080 to $57,540. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Maine is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $39,299 from $48,640. 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 328 of 484 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Maine, so $40,474 — the adjusted value of that $48,640 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 328 of 484 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $42,080 and the top tenth $57,540, so most people doing this work in Maine sit within a fairly tight band.
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 $40,474 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 $39,299.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 48 states have a published figure for this work; the others had too few responses to release one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($42,080 to $57,540) 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 $40,474 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 $39,299 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.