Economic Impact of Maine's community colleges
Maine’s community colleges provide a significant return on investment for Maine taxpayers and community college students, ultimately adding $1 billion to Maine’s economy annually through the combined impact of operations and construction spending, and the spending impact of its students and alumni. The colleges generate more tax revenue than they receive, returning $2.70 to Maine taxpayers over the course of students’ working lives for every dollar of public money invested in the colleges. For community college students, for every dollar of the $35.1 million in tuition and $60.5 million they gave up in earnings while they attended a Maine community college, students received $6.40 in increased earnings over the course of their working lives – a whopping 20.2% return on their investment of time and money.
These are the findings of 2026 economic impact study by Lightcast, a global leader in labor market analytics. Read more here:
Published January 2026; Reflects FY 2024-25