Working in Maine can be really great for some professions and it looks like one of those professions is nursing.

Wallethub compiled information to see which states in the nation were best and worst for those in the nursing profession for 2022 and working as a nurse in Maine ranked very well nationwide. Maine proved to be second best in the nation for those in the nursing profession according to the information compiled by Wallethub.

Despite coming in 2nd best in the nation for places to work as a nurse, Maine nurses earn nearly the least in the nation, coming in with the fifth-lowest annual nursing salary. The mean annual wage of a nurse in the United States is $80,000.

Factors in ranking

Many factors were considered for the ranking in this list and broken into two categories: opportunity & competition and work environment. Within these two categories, various pieces of information created the ranking system including monthly average starting salary for nurses per state, nurses per 1,000 residents, tuition cost per credit for BSN online program, mandatory overtime restrictions, a regulatory requirement for nurse practitioners, friendliness toward working moms, and many more factors.

Get our free mobile app

Breaking down how Maine ranks in the nursing profession

Here were some of the ranking stats for the State of Maine when it comes to the state's nursing market:

  • Maine ranks 6th best in the nation for healthcare facilities per capita
  • Maine ranks 28th best in the nation for nurses per capita
  • Maine ranks 2nd best in the nation for the projected share of the elderly population by 2030
  • Maine ranks 3rd best in the nation for nursing job openings per capita
  • Maine ranks best in the nation for the share of best nursing homes
  • Maine ranks 21st best in the nation for projected competition by 2028
  • Maine ranks 22nd best in the nation for the average number of work hours
  • Maine ranks 5th best in the nation for percentage of residents 12+ who are fully vaccinated

Nationwide ranked focus on nursing

The top states in the country for best places to work as a nurse in the nation include Washington state as the best place to work as a nurse in the nation, followed by Maine, New Mexico, Minnesota, and New Hampshire.

Source: WalletHub

The states that ranked the worst were Oklahoma, which came in last, followed up by Alabama, Hawaii, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

For more about WalletHub's sources and factoring, visit Wallethub.com's '2022's Best & Worst States for Nurses' report.

25 of Maine's Highest Paying Jobs

Here is a list of the highest paying jobs in the State of Maine, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from information released May 2020. Many of the professions on the list include medical professions, financial professions and technology professions.

25 Occupations with the Fastest Projected Rate of Job Loss In Maine

If you are looking for a job with a growing future here in the State of Maine, you might not want to pick from this list. Information from the Center for Workforce Research and Information from the State of Maine projects these 25 occupations to be the ones with the fastest rate of job loss by 2028.

25 High-Demand, High Wage Maine Jobs You Don't Need To Go To College For

Check out these jobs that don't need an Associates's or Bachelors's Degree, that are in demand here in the State of Maine and are projected to give you a comfortable living. Most of these jobs require a high school diploma or equivalent and just a few require some sort of postsecondary education that is not a degree. Check out the list and see what jobs are projected to be high-demand and provide high wages in the State of Maine through 2028 that do not need a degree.

More From WBZN Old Town Maine