In the past year, Mainers have adapted to higher housing costs, health care disruptions and longer waits for nearly any service.
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This year seemed to fly by — here we are in December — and I’m looking back on the lessons of 2025.
It’s been a whirlwind, but here are five highly unscientific reflections on what we’ve learned in the past year.
The years before the pandemic seem like ancient history now. Throw out everything we knew about housing prices, the cost of health care and the cost of, well, a cup of coffee. Inflation, labor shortages and skyrocketing housing and health care costs make the years before 2020 look like the 1950s.
Higher housing prices are here to stay. For the month of October, Maine’s median home price of $426,000 eclipsed the U.S. rate by $1,000. Before the pandemic, Maine’s median home price was at $200,000 for a long time. There might be people who are still waiting for the pandemic bubble to burst, but you could also argue Maine homes were underpriced and prices have caught up with the rest of the country.
The cost of having employees keeps going up. You can look at planned increases in the state minimum wage and that of the city of Portland. You can look at the rising cost of offering insurance and other benefits. And you can brace for the coming paid-leave law to go into effect in May. Buckle up.
An aging population has collided with the health care shakeout. Maine’s two largest health care systems have taken steps for the future, but for all of us who live in Maine, the math of having an aging population with a shifting health care industry have already meant changes in our care. This is something we’ll all need to pay close attention to next year.
Who’s minding the store? Whether you’re looking to make an eye appointment, get your Real ID at the BMV site or get your oven fixed, chances are you’re booking several weeks (or months) in advance. People are retiring, people are turning down jobs. And we’re all spending more time waiting for basic services. That doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon.
