Maine had among the largest growth in productivity in the U.S. last year according to newly released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Pine Tree State was one of five states with productivity growth of more than 4 percent, including Indiana (6.3 percent), Rhode Island (5 percent), Washington (4.8 percent), New Hampshire (4.3 percent) and Maine (4.1 percent).
Labor productivity describes the amount of goods and services produced per hour worked.
Many factors can contribute to greater productivity, according to the bureau, including “changes in technology; capital investment; utilization of capacity, energy, and materials; the use of purchased services inputs, including contract employment services; the organization of production; the characteristics and effort of the workforce; and managerial skill.”
According to the bureau, 625.601 Mainers employed in 2024, working an average of .9 percent less than in 2023. Their collective labor output was 3.2 percent more, and hourly compensation was 5.7 percent more, on average, than in the previous year.
From 2007 to 2024, labor productivity rose in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Labor output from the nonfarm sector, a separate measurement based on value added, grew in 49 states and the District of Columbia, while hours worked grew in 40 states and Washington D.C., according to the bureau. Maine was among the states where hours worked decreased.
