Maine and New England Rank High for Best States to Raise a Family

Maine and New England tend to rank high on many lists. It’s almost like the quality of life in this region is second to none (because it is).

Whether it’s the wonderful people, great food, amazing outdoor recreation, wealth of small businesses, or ridiculous accents, there’s certainly a lot to appreciate about the region.

So, it should come as no surprise that both Maine and New England have scored very high on yet another list.

WalletHub, the popular personal finance website, recently published its annual report of the best states to raise a family—and surprise, surprise—Maine and the rest of the region cleaned house.

Maine is One of the Best States in America to Raise a Family

Maine ended up ranked as the 10th best state to raise a family, which is a very respectable achievement. It was also joined by the rest of New England, which scored no lower than 17th. Talk about absolutely dismantling the competition.

Maine’s overall score in the report was 58.07 out of a possible 100. Considering the highest score was 67, that’s pretty darn good.

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The scoring was based on five major categories: Family Fun, Health & Safety, Affordability, Education & Child Care, and Socioeconomics. These categories were broken down into 50 subcategories to get the most accurate score possible.

Maine placed in the top 10 in three of the five categories. Those included an impressive 3rd-place ranking in Education & Child Care, along with 6th-place rankings in both Health & Safety and Socioeconomics. These are great scores for the state and not surprising.

Also not surprising is the category that hurts Maine a bit: affordability, where the Pine Tree State ranked 27th. This has been an ongoing issue for at least the past decade, and there doesn’t seem to be much hope of it changing anytime soon.

Where I really take issue with this report is Maine’s ranking in Family Fun. It came in at 44th! That is certifiably crazy. There is a ton to do in Maine, from endless outdoor activities to collegiate and professional sports to great concert lineups. It’s simply ridiculous to say Maine is one of the most boring states.

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Overall, 10th is still a very solid ranking and clearly recommends the state to young families and soon-to-be parents. So, I dig it.

What State in New England is the Best to Raise a Family?

Here’s how the rest of the region fared:

1. Massachusetts
7. Connecticut
8. New Hampshire
16. Rhode Island
17. Vermont

As I said, just complete domination by the region. You love to see it.

So, where is the worst place to raise a family? According to the report, that would be New Mexico. Clearly, Breaking Bad gave it a rough reputation.

Check out the entire list here.

Maine's 20 Largest State Parks by Acreage

Maine's 42 state parks and historical sites saw over 3 million visitors in 2024. These popular spots just continue to remain quite popular. They are also extraordinarily diverse to one another in their own right, including the size.

Here are the 20 largest state parks in Maine based on acreage.

Note: Baxter State Park has been omitted since it's not run by the Maine Bureau of Parks & Public Lands.

Gallery Credit: Chris Sedenka