Rockland minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Rockland is $16.00 an hour in 2026, $0.90 above the Maine rate of $15.10. Rockland's wage applies only to employers with more than 25 employees that have a place of business in the city; smaller employers pay the Maine state minimum. For covered employers the rate has followed Northeast inflation each January 1 since 2025.
Contents11 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $16.00 an hour, since January 1, 20261 |
|---|---|
| Next change | The January 1, 2027 rate will reflect Northeast inflation from August 2025 to August 2026. |
| Tipped employees | $8.00 cash wage, tip credit up to $8.0012 |
| Full-time pay | $640 a week, $33,280 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | City of Rockland, City Manager's Office |
What to know about the Rockland minimum wage
The first question for any Rockland worker is how many people the employer has. Section 2-116 of the city code limits the local wage to employers with more than 25 employees that have a place of business in Rockland, so a business with 25 or fewer employees pays the state minimum instead, even inside city limits.2 The city's yearly notices print the rate without mentioning the threshold, which makes the code the place to check.1
The ordinance took effect January 1, 2022 at $13.00 and climbed $1.00 a year to $15.00 in 2024.2 Since then it has moved with Northeast inflation, measured from August to August and rounded to the nearest nickel: $15.50 in 2025 and $16.00 from January 1, 2026.31 Maine's own rate of $15.70 for 2027 stays below Rockland's 2026 figure.5
Tipped service employees at covered employers may be paid at least $8.00 an hour in 2026, half the city rate, with tips making up the rest.12
Enforcement is local. A worker files a written complaint with the City Manager's office, which has 15 work days to respond and can order back wages plus fines of $100 per day. The Maine Department of Labor names Rockland and Portland as the two Maine municipalities with local minimum wage ordinances.25
Rates and changes
The 25-employee threshold is written into the city code (section 2-116) but does not appear on the city's yearly wage notices. A worker at a business with 25 or fewer employees is owed the state minimum, $15.10 in 2026, rather than Rockland's $16.00.
Compared with Maine
When a local minimum wage, the state minimum wage and the federal minimum wage differ, the employer must pay the highest one that applies to the work. For most covered work in Rockland, that is the local rate.
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| Rockland | Due January 1, 2027, amount not announced | $16.00 |
| Maine (state) | $15.70 on January 1, 2027 | $15.10 |
| Federal | None scheduled | $7.25 |
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Allowed |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $8.00 an hour12 |
| Maximum tip credit | $8.00 an hour |
Service employees may be paid a cash wage of at least $8.00 an hour in 2026, half the Rockland rate. Tips belong to the employee; valid tip pools are allowed.
An employer that takes a tip credit must make up the difference whenever wages plus tips fall short of the full minimum wage for the workweek. See the tipped minimum wage guide.
How the rate changes
Each January 1 since 2025, the rate rises by the August-to-August change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the Northeast, rounded to the nearest 5 cents. If Maine's minimum ever passes Rockland's, the city rate rises to match it and is indexed from there.
Rate history
Who is covered
Employers with more than 25 employees and a place of business in Rockland must pay the Rockland rate for each hour worked inside the city, to full-time, part-time, seasonal and temporary workers alike; the City of Rockland's own employees are covered. Workers excluded from the definition of employee under Maine law (26 M.R.S. section 663(3)) are not.
- The local wage took effect January 1, 2022 at $13.00 and rose in fixed $1.00 steps to $15.00 in 2024 before indexing began.
- Covered employers must post the city's minimum wage notice and a copy of the ordinance at each workplace.
- Complaints are made in writing to the City Manager's office, which must respond within 15 work days and can order back wages and fines of $100 per day.
- Maine's statewide minimum is $15.10 for 2026 and $15.70 from January 1, 2027.
Other local rates in Maine
- Portland$16.75
Everywhere else in Maine, the state rate applies.
Get help or file a claim
If you are paid less than the minimum wage that applies to your job, you can file a wage claim with the agency below. Federal law prohibits firing or otherwise retaliating against a worker for complaining about federal minimum wage rights.
| Agency | City of Rockland, City Manager's Office |
|---|---|
| The law | Rockland Code Chapter 2, Article I, Sec. 2-116 Local Minimum Wage (effective 2022-01-01) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Is a rate wrong or out of date? Report an error