Portland, Maine, Tops New England for Best City to Start a Career

Maine's largest city recently received top accolades when compared to its New England peers.

Wallethub.com, a popular personal finance website, has published its annual report on the best American cities to start a career. Not only can Portland be found near the top, but it's also the highest ranked New England city on the list.

Portland ranks as the 6th best city to start a career in. That's out of a list of 182 cities that were used in Wallethubs survey. I would have to say a very reputable ranking for Portland, especially with it being the highest in the region.

Maine scored a 60.36 out of a possible 100 points. The scoring system is based on a two major categories, Professional Opportunities and Quality of Life. These categories are broken down in 26 subcategories to make it as detailed as possible. You can read more about the methodology here.

Maine finished with a ranking of 11th in professional opportunities. It's good to see Portland getting accolades for its employment opportunities. The city is much more than a service center for tourism. Portland has options in just about any industry, including engineering, tech, higher education, and the service industry.

The city truly shined in the quality-of-life category, where it finished 10th overall. This should surprise nobody, considering the quality of life across the great state of Maine is quite amazing. Just make sure to avoid running into a moose.

The next highest ranked New England city is Boston. The large metropolis can be found ranked 24th. This is followed by Providence right behind in 25th. Burlington can also be found in the Top-50. The Vermont city got a ranking of 36th.

A hat tip must go to the city of Lewiston. Maine's other representative had a very respectable ranking of 58th. The city's score included an 16th overall ranking for employment opportunities. Clearly, the revitalization of Lewiston is paying off.

You can check out all of the rankings here. where did your favorite city finish?

50 Largest Employers in Maine

Below is a list of the 50 largest employers in Maine. Some are locally owned, while others are national brands. These are provided by the Maine Department of Labor. The numbers are from 2023's 3rd quarter. They are the most recent available.

Gallery Credit: Chris Sedenka

LOOK: The priciest home for sale in every U.S. state

From vast expanses to explore in the West to "cozy" beach retreats in the East, get ready to be dazzled by the opulence of the most luxurious real estate across all 50 states. We've ranked them from the least expensive (a bargain at $3,095,000!) to the most expensive. Simply tap or click on the photo to see more of each home, or if you're feeling extravagant, book a viewing.

Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz

Source: Portland, Maine, Tops New England for Best City to Start a Career