Maine’s Two Largest Cities Earn Mixed Results From ‘Best Places to Retire’ Report

It was mixed results for Maine's two most populous cities in a recent report on best cities to retire in.

Wallethub.com, a personal finance website, recently published a report of the best cities to retire in. Both Portland and Lewiston were listed on the report.

Portland came in at 49th, just sneaking into the Top 50. However, Lewiston was just 149th on the list of 182 cities and towns from across the country. Wallethub's survey included the 150 largest cities in America, plus at least two of the largest cities in each state.

Portland's actual score given was 50.16, while Lewiston scored a 44.94. The scoring is on a 100 point system and based on four major categories: Affordability, Activities, Healthcare, and Quality of Life. These categories were broken down to 46 subcategories to make it as detailed as possible. You can read more about the methodology here.

Portland did well in three of the four major categories. Maine's largest city was the 22nd best for activities, 23rd for quality of life, and 37th for healthcare.

However, it was the affordability category that absolutely destroyed Portland's ranking. Wallethub listed Portland with a 167 ranking, nearly dead last in the category. This isn't surprising if you live near or around the city. It's a seamlessly never-ending epidemic that only gets worse. Housing, food, and travel costs all conspire against someone looking to be frugal in retirement.

While Lewiston did slightly better in the affordability category (120th), The Lew only managed a 58th ranking in quality of life, and 78th in healthcare.

However, its undoing was the activities category, which saw Lewiston score a 136. I do find it a little harsh. I think it's difficult for any small city to go against more populous areas when it comes to some of these categories, though Wallethub does measure by "per capita" standards to try and keep it as fair as possible.

According to Wallethub, the number one city to retire in is Charleston, SC. The southern charm scored a 58.97. It just beat out Orlando, FL, for the top spot. The rest of the Top 5 includes Cincinnati, OH, Miami, FL, and Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Dead last on the survey went to Bridgeport, CT, which should surprise nobody.

You can see the full list here.