Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers Salary
The median pay for a dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers in Maine is $38,560/year ($18.54/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $62K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.7), that's roughly $39,468 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,281/month, about 48.1% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Maine. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $39K get you in Maine?
About dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
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What this looks like in Maine
Maine sits well above the national pay line for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers, local pay runs about 13% higher than the U.S. median of $34K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,281/month, which is 48.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97.7) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Maine
Entry-level dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $62K or more, a $31K spread from bottom to top.
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers salary by metro in Maine
3 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland-South Portland | $39K | +2% | 740 |
| Bangor | $38K | -2% | 210 |
| Lewiston-Auburn | $36K | -6% | 90 |
Compare to other states
Track dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Maine numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helper afford a 2BR apartment alone in Maine?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 48.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,281/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers in Maine?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,872/month. At HUD’s $1,281/month FMR, rent would take 68% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helper a high-paying job in Maine?
Local pay is 13% above the national median — $39K here vs. $34K nationally.
How does Maine compare to the national average for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers?
Maine pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $34K — that’s +13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.7), the purchasing-power equivalent is $39K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers make in Maine?
The median is $38,560 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,200, and experienced dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers can clear $62,080. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in Maine?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,636/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,281/month, which eats 48.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers salary go in Maine?
Maine has a Regional Price Parity of 97.7 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers salary is worth about $39,468 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.