How Does Maine Rank For 'Family Fun'? Not Good.

In a recent analysis reported by WalletHub.com, Maine ranked #17 for the Best States for families. What made it so Maine wasn't #1? Few fun things to do and few families with young kids. What made it so it wasn't last? Mediocre affordability and the best ranking nationwide for few violent crimes.

Best States for Families in the United States

The analysis takes several factors into consideration including states that offer 'family fun', 'health & safety', 'education & child care', and 'affordability'. The state that came in #1 with an overall score was Massachusetts with a total score of 65.21, followed by New York, Vermont, Minnesota and Nebraska.

Maine scored a total of 53.73, ranking it at #17 on the list.

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Maine's Place In the Subcategories

The categories that Maine performed well in included 'health & safety', ranking #4 of all the states and #6 in 'education & childcare'.

Maine, however, had one tough category that really brought its overall rank down in the 'Best States for Families' list, which was the 'family fun' category. Maine ranked 46th for this category, Maine also mid-leveled with the 'affordability' category, coming in at #33.

The states that performed the worst included Mississippi, which came in last with a score of 30.47, followed by New Mexico, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Oklahoma.

Maine Performed Low for Median Family Salary & Is A State With The Fewest Young Kids

The analysis also included listing the states with the highest median and lowest median family salary, adjusted for the cost of living. This factored into the metrics of the rankings. Maine was featured in this section as one of the states having the lowest median family salary, coming in at #47. Also included in the lowest median family salary were New Mexico(#50), West Virginia (#49), California (#48), and Oregon (#46). The states that performed the best were Minnesota (#1), Virginia (#2), New Jersey (#3), Illinois (#4), and Maryland (#5).

Maine was also featured in the section of most and fewest families with young kids. Maine was featured in the very low ranking on this section, coming in fourth-least of all the states.

Maine Ranked Best In This Analysis In One Particular Category

Maine does rank #1 in the fewest violent crimes per capita, which is great! We've got that going for us, at least.

Overall, it may not be a state set up for young families but it is a safer place to live. But, really, growing up in Maine, you make due with finding entertainment. Besides, there's a whole natural wonderland out there so, you can find plenty to do as a kid.

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