Science Says Maine is One of the Best States to Live in

Congratulations to all of us Mainers out there. When it comes to picking where to live, we did well.

According to World Population Review, Maine is the 8th best state to live in. That's quite a solid ranking, if you ask me. Maine finished just behind New Jersey, and slightly ahead of Florida. That's one heck of a weird sandwich.

World Population Review used data from the World Health Organization's definition of quality of life. It's the level to which a person can obtain their needs, meet their goals, and address their concerns. World Population Review measured six different categories to determine what states have the best quality of life. Those categories included affordability, crime safety, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, and healthcare. You can read more about the methodology here.

Maine's best score came crime safety, where it was ranked the 4th best in the nation. The Pine Tree State also scored top 20s in both healthcare (14) and education (14).

Unsurprisingly, Maine scored worst in affordability, coming in at just 28th. I was actually shocked it was still that high, considering how expensive everything has become here.

Even with the low number for affordability, Maine still managed to finish with the 8th overall ranking, a very solid number indeed.

It's difficult to disagree. Maine is a wonderful place to live and raise a family (if that's your thing). There's natural beauty all around us, there's a wealth of educational opportunities, the food scene is second to none, and there's very few people, which might be our best quality.

As a whole, New England fared very well in the rankings. Here's a look where every state placed.

2. Vermont - New England's top spot.
4. New Hampshire - It pays to live free and die.
5. Massachusetts - We can agree to disagree.
12. Connecticut - Hey, great pizza.
23. Rhode Island - I mean, those roads are terrible.

Congrats to Wyoming for taking home the top spot. And not-so-congrats to Louisiana for bringing home the rear. I mean, I do dig New Orleans.

You can check out the entire map here.