Maine Ranks Among the Best States to Retire, According to New Report

Ever wondered why Maine is the oldest state in the nation? Well, one big reason is the fact that it’s a pretty fine place to retire.

At least that’s according to a recent report highlighting the best states to retire in. WalletHub.com, a popular personal finance website, recently published its annual report, and Maine was listed near the top.

How Good of a State is Maine to Retire in?

The Pine Tree State was named the 19th best state in the nation to retire in, and the second best in New England—only behind New Hampshire, which finished an impressive 9th.

Maine’s total score came to 52.50 out of a possible 100 points. The scoring was based on three major categories: affordability, quality of life, and health care. These were broken down into 46 subcategories to make the report as detailed as possible. You can read more about the methodology here.

It was no surprise to see that Maine’s best category was quality of life, in which the state ranked 4th overall. Anyone who lives here—or anyone who has visited—can easily tell you how amazing that quality is. Beautiful terrain, a manageable climate, low crime, an incredible food scene, wonderful neighbors, no traffic, and vast remote areas. There are very few places like this in America, especially on the coast.

Health care was another strong category for Maine, coming in 14th. This category includes the number of health care providers per capita, hospital quality, and life expectancy, just to name a few. It’s certainly reassuring to see a high ranking here, considering how important health care is for everyone, not just those at retirement age.

While those two categories scored well, Maine took a considerable dive in affordability. I don’t think I need to explain to anyone how expensive this state continues to get. Whether it’s housing, food prices, parking—literally everything seems to be increasing. Honestly, I’m shocked Maine was only ranked 37th. I wouldn’t have been surprised if it landed even closer to the bottom.

But even with rising costs, the advantages in quality of life and health care push Maine into one of the top spots in the country. So, we should be proud of that and probably expect Maine to get even older over the next few decades.

I mean, I plan to retire here (with maybe a second home in the Caribbean…in my dreams).

What is the Best State to Retire in?

The number one state to retire in, according to WalletHub, is Wyoming, followed by Florida (of course) and South Dakota.

As for the worst, that distinction goes to Kentucky. I’m not sure I agree with that—I’d love to retire in a state where bourbon flows like water.

You can find the entire rankings here.