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Penobscot County, ME · Painter
Painter prevailing wage in Penobscot County, Maine
$25.55an hour, base wage + fringe benefits · Construction and Maintenance Painters
$23.96 base wage + $1.59 fringe benefits · Building 2 (other than 1 or 2 family homes) · Northern region
Penobscot County uses the same painter rates as 1 other county. See all of them on one page.
On Maine public works in Penobscot County, a painter working as construction and maintenance painters must be paid at least $25.55 an hour: a $23.96 base wage plus $1.59 in benefits.
MDOL 2026 rates, effective January 10, 2026; this rate, effective January 10, 2026. A rate written into a contract "must remain unchanged during the time the contract is in effect" (26 MRSA §1306). Checked against maine.gov on October 25, 2026.
MDOL lists 3 painter rates for Penobscot County, from $25.55 to $53.87 an hour. See all of them.
MDOL's website rates "are for reference only". Bidders get the project-specific determination from the agency soliciting bids (§1306).
Base wage and fringe benefits: $23.96 + $1.59
The base wage is the taxable hourly wage. MDOL prints the benefits as one hourly figure, not itemized; it can go to health, pension, vacation and training plans, or be paid as cash where the state allows.
| Base wage (taxable) | $23.96 |
| Fringe benefits (one figure, not itemized) | $1.59 |
| Total hourly rate, as printed | $25.55 |
When does this rate change?
- A rate in a contract stays unchanged for the life of the contract (26 MRSA §1306), so later sets don't change existing jobs.
- MDOL publishes one set a year. The 2026 set took effect January 10, 2026 after a 30-day notice period; the next comes after the July 2026 survey (MDOL 2026 rates).
Every painter rate in Penobscot County
As MDOL lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Construction and Maintenance PaintersHighway & Earthwork · Northern region$53.87
- Construction and Maintenance PaintersHeavy & Bridge · Northern region$33.41
- Construction and Maintenance PaintersBuilding 2 (other than 1 or 2 family homes) · Northern region$25.55
| Classification | Base wage | Fringe benefits | Total rate | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction and Maintenance PaintersBuilding 2 (other than 1 or 2 family homes)Northern region | $23.96 | $1.59 | $25.55 | Jan 10, 2026 |
| Construction and Maintenance PaintersHighway & EarthworkNorthern region | $37.24 | $16.63 | $53.87 | Jan 10, 2026 |
| Construction and Maintenance PaintersHeavy & BridgeNorthern region | $32.96 | $0.45 | $33.41 | Jan 10, 2026 |
Davis-Bacon painter rate in Penobscot County
Federally funded or assisted construction here uses the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determinations. Maine's law excludes projects under Davis-Bacon with federally set rates, so a job uses one schedule or the other (26 M.R.S. 1304).
We don't put a federal figure next to MDOL's here, because the federal determination for this county has no matching classification. The federal rows for this trade are below; match the classification to the work.
| Construction | Federal classification | Base wage | Total rate | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy | PAINTER (BRUSH AND ROLLER)SUME2014-012 | $23.36 | $29.76 | ME20260031 Mod 1 |
Davis-Bacon rates from SAM.gov, read October 25, 2026. Our federal totals are base plus fringe; DOL prints no total. Maine Davis-Bacon changes
How Penobscot County compares
The main painter rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and nearby. All bars use the same scale.
Every county in Maine
Wage and benefits, nearby
- Penobscot Countybase $23.96$25.55
- Piscataquis Countybase $23.96$25.55
- Hancock Countybase $20.74$29.62
- Washington Countybase $23.96$25.55
Painter rates in nearby counties
Current MDOL rates. Rates are published per county. "Locality" in the law is where the work is done plus the areas labor is recruited from (26 MRSA §1304(6)).
MDOL's painter rates for Penobscot County are the same as in 1 other county: Washington.
| County | Classification | Base wage | Total rate | vs Penobscot County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waldo County | Construction and Maintenance Painters | $29.16 | $32.48 | +$6.93 |
| Hancock County | Construction and Maintenance Painters | $20.74 | $29.62 | +$4.07 |
| Penobscot County | Construction and Maintenance Painters | $23.96 | $25.55 | |
| Piscataquis County | Construction and Maintenance Painters | $23.96 | $25.55 | same |
| Washington County | Construction and Maintenance Painters | $23.96 | $25.55 | same |
| Aroostook County | Construction and Maintenance Painters | $23.96 | $25.55 | same |
| Somerset County | Construction and Maintenance Painters | $22.47 | $24.31 | −$1.24 |
More from MDOL on this rate
- MDOL MDOL determination, page 1
- MDOL's 2026 fair minimum wage rates
- MDOL lists journey-level rates. Apprentice rates are those in a registered sponsorship agreement (26 MRSA §1314).
Are you being paid this rate?
You must get at least the minimum wage, and wage plus benefits of at least the total. Contractors post the rates on site and file payroll monthly with the public authority. An underpaid worker can recover the difference plus an equal penalty (26 MRSA §1312). MDOL Wage and Hour: (207) 623-7900.
Source
Department of Labor (MDOL), MDOL determination MDOL-2026-penobscot-b2, effective January 10, 2026, page 1: www.maine.gov/labor/docs/2026/laborstats/prevailingwage/Penobscot/2026%20B2%20Penobscot%20County.pdf
We read every row of MDOL's 2026 county and statewide PDFs and check every number with a second, separate reader. Wage plus benefit equals MDOL's printed total except for 28 one-cent rounding differences; we show the printed total. How we check · Download Penobscot County as CSV · Report an error