| Maine's Families Struggle to Make Ends Meet |
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Maine’s households, while earning less than average households in other states, pay more for the most basic services. Maine residents face higher costs for energy due to the cold climate and dependence on home heating oil, while other regions rely on lower priced, natural gas for heating. Maine’s electricity prices are some of the highest in the country and Maine’s healthcare costs and thus health insurance costs are far higher than national averages. Add to that high-cost state and local governments and it is clear that families have to sacrifice to make ends meet. MPSRG's latest analysis shows that Maine’s average households cannot maintain the same standard of living as their counterparts with similar earnings in other states. Comparing expenditures for the typical Maine household to other households with similar earnings levels show that because of Maine’s high costs for energy, healthcare and government spending, Maine households make sacrifices or go into debt to make ends meet. Download analysis here.
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 21 July 2008 ) |
