Prevailing wage rates · Maine · Wage determination
Prevailing wage rates: Waldo County, Maine
Heavy construction · ME20260026 modification 1, published May 18, 2026
The short answer
This sheet sets 10 classifications for heavy work in Waldo County, Maine. Each line is a basic hourly rate plus a fringe rate, and the sum is the minimum you must pay for that work, from $18.49 an hour (truck driver: dump truck) to $77.72 (power equipment operator: backhoe,excavator, loader, trackhoe). Your contract may lock an earlier modification.
What changed this year
First published January 2, 2026, this sheet is now on modification 1, and its rates have changed in 1 modification. Of the 10 rates we can follow line by line from the first publication to today, 2 are higher.
If you bid the job or set pay from an earlier copy, find your trades below. The rates that bind you are the ones in the modification written into your contract.
Latest change
May 18, 2026 · modification 1
2 rates raised
- Power equipment operator: 2 rates raised by $1.01 to $1.02 an hour
Every line that changed (2)
| Classification | Was | Now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: BULLDOZER | $43.00 + $33.45 | $43.60 + $33.86 | +$1.01 (+1.3%) |
| POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: BACKHOE,EXCAVATOR, LOADER, TRACKHOE | $43.25 + $33.45 | $43.86 + $33.86 | +$1.02 (+1.3%) |
Compared line by line from each modification as published on SAM.gov. A line we could not pair with certainty is left out rather than guessed.
Rates by classification
These are the rates in modification 1 as published on SAM.gov. The determination and modification written into your contract are the ones that bind you; check that number before relying on this table. Total is the basic rate plus the fringe. Source is the agreement or survey the rate came from and its year; a survey year long past means the rate has not been surveyed since. A marker means the group changed in this modification. In the Since column, a dash means SAM.gov reworded the line during the year and it cannot be matched to the first publication with certainty. A dagger (†) means the fringe carries a footnote or percentage the total does not include; read the group’s notes.
| Classification | Basic rate | Fringe | Total | Since Jan 2 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGI0004-002 · Operating Engineers agreement, December 1, 2025 | |||||
| POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: BULLDOZER | $43.60 | $33.86 | $77.46 | +$1.01 (+1.3%) | Agreement, 2025 |
| POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: BACKHOE,EXCAVATOR, LOADER, TRACKHOE | $43.86 | $33.86 | $77.72 | +$1.02 (+1.3%) | Agreement, 2025 |
| LABO0327-002 · Laborers agreement, December 1, 2023 | |||||
| LABORER: FLAGGER | $25.40 | $21.28 | $46.68 | no change | Agreement, 2023 |
| SUME2014-007 · Survey of contractors in ME, January 30, 2017 | |||||
| TRUCK DRIVER: DUMP TRUCK | $15.40 | $3.09 | $18.49 | no change | Survey, 2017 |
| OPERATOR: CRANE | $24.57 | $6.89 | $31.46 | no change | Survey, 2017 |
| LABORER: PIPELAYER | $21.96 | $5.99 | $27.95 | no change | Survey, 2017 |
| LABORER: COMMON OR GENERAL | $15.52 | $6.60 | $22.12 | no change | Survey, 2017 |
| IRONWORKER, STRUCTURAL | $24.57 | $11.13 | $35.70 | no change | Survey, 2017 |
| ELECTRICIAN | $24.94 | $9.00 | $33.94 | no change | Survey, 2017 |
| CARPENTER, INCLUDES FORM WORK | $20.04 | $10.48 | $30.52 | no change | Survey, 2017 |
Modification history
| Modification 0 | January 2, 2026 |
| Modification 1 | May 18, 2026 (current) |
Published by the Wage and Hour Division; read from sam.gov. The sheet is checked for a newer modification each day. Contracts awarded since January 1, 2017 also carry Executive Order 13706 paid sick leave (one hour per 30 worked, up to 56 a year).
Questions people ask
- Which rate do I pay on ME20260026?
- The line for the classification of work actually performed: the basic rate plus the fringe. You may pay the fringe into benefit plans, as cash on every hour, or a mix. Overtime after 40 hours is 1.5 times the basic rate; fringe is paid on every hour and never multiplied.
- My trade is not on this sheet. What do I do?
- Do not borrow the nearest name. Ask the contracting agency for a conformance on Standard Form 1444 before the first week of that work, and note it as pending on the payroll.
- Does modification 1 apply to my contract?
- Only if it was in force when your contract was awarded (generally at bid opening). An earlier modification locked into the contract keeps applying, except on option years, added scope and indefinite-quantity contracts. The number and modification are on the first page of the exhibit in your contract.
How to read a wage determination · Paying the fringe in cash or through plans · Overtime on these rates · Fringe credit calculator
Put these rates on a certified payroll.
Start here and ME20260026 is already filled in when you set up the job. CertifiedHours loads this sheet, checks every line against it as you type hours, and prints the WH-347. Free for one payroll a month.
Start a payroll on this sheetOn this sheet
- 10 classifications in 3 rate groups
- 2 from agreements, 1 from surveys
- Counties: Waldo