New Study Names Maine Best State for Doctors in New England

A new report has revealed that Maine is leading the way for doctors here in New England.

This report was published by the popular financial site WalletHub.com. The site took a look at which states are the best for physicians, and Maine came out as the top spot in our fun little region.

Maine’s national ranking came in at 28th, which isn’t exactly ideal. However, it was more than good enough to leave the rest of New England in the dust.

Is Maine a Good State for Doctors?

Maine’s overall score was 56.98. The scoring is based on a 100-point system divided into two major categories: Opportunity & Competition Rank and Medical Environment Rank. These categories were further broken down into 19 subcategories to make the analysis as detailed as possible. You can read more about the methodology here.

Maine’s Opportunity & Competition Rank was low, coming in at just 34th. This category included metrics like job salaries, job opportunities, number of hospitals, and quality of benefits, just to name a few. Being a smaller, more remote state, it’s not too surprising to see this weaker ranking.

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However, it was a completely different story when it came to the Medical Environment category. Maine finished with one of the highest rankings in the country, placing 5th overall. Considering this category includes many metrics that contribute to an ideal hospital working environment, I would say this is a great ranking to see. Obviously, it’s great for physicians, but it’s also a huge positive for all of us who may need to use these facilities at some point.

Clearly, these are mixed results for Maine, but it certainly could have been a lot worse—like if we were the rest of New England! My goodness, this report was not kind to our neighbors.

Take a look at these rough rankings for the rest of New England:

37. Massachusetts
38. New Hampshire
40. Connecticut
42. Vermont
49. Rhode Island

And considering New York came in dead last, it’s clear there are some significant issues going on in the Northeast.

What is the Best State for Doctors?

So, what’s the best state for doctors? That honor went to Montana. Apparently, Big Sky Country is where you want to get sick.

You can see the entire results here.