• While overall employment in the State of Maine increased 8.10% between 1997 and 2002, employment within the construction industry rose by 20.86%, creating 5,249 new construction jobs as well as creating 548 new construction establishments in 5 years.

• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 25,157 individuals employed in the construction industry in Maine in 1997 and 30,406 in 2002, an increase of 20.86% in 5 years. 

• While the average worker in Maine brought home $28,879 in pay in 2002, the state’s construction workers made on average $31,076, an increase of 7.07% more than the average worker in Maine. 

• Construction workers in Maine saw a salary increase of 18.02% from 1997-2002, compared to the average salary increase construction workers across the United States, which increased by 14.97%. 

• The number of businesses in Maine grew from 31,539 in 1997 to 33,684 in 2002, an increase of 6.80%.  Construction establishments in Maine however, increased by 12.90% from 4,249 in 1997 to 4,797 in 2002.

• Of the 2,145 new businesses established between 1997 and 2002 in Maine, 548 or 25.55% of those establishments were in the construction industry. 

• According to Union Membership and Coverage Database, available at www.unionstats.com, in 2006, only 6.5 percent of Maine’s private construction workforce belonged to a construction trade union.  That means that approximately 93 out of 100 Maine’s private construction workers do not belong to a labor union.

Data are from the U.S. Bureau of the Census except where noted.

• The dollar threshold amount for contract coverage under state prevailing wage laws in Maine is $50,000.