Maine Ranks Shockingly Low for Children’s Health in New Study

Oh, Maine—we need to talk about how we’re taking care of our children’s health. We have some serious work to do.

That’s at least according to a new report released by the personal finance site WalletHub. It ranked every state based on children’s health across a number of categories. Unfortunately, Maine is nowhere near the top. In fact, the Pine Tree State sits well down the list—behind every other state in New England, and by a wide margin.

How Does Maine Rank in Children's Health?

Maine was ranked the 28th-best state for children’s health, an absolutely tough pill to swallow. Even worse, that’s 17 spots lower than the next closest New England state, New Hampshire.

The rankings come from a study that includes three major categories: Kids’ Health & Access to Health Care, Kids’ Nutrition/Physical Activity & Obesity, and Kids’ Oral Health. These were further broken down into 33 subcategories, making the analysis as detailed as possible. You can read more about the methodology here.

First, the good news. Maine performed decently in health and access to care, ranking 17th. A top-20 finish is respectable, especially in such an important category. We’re talking about access to and quality of care for children, so this provides a solid foundation for the state to build on.

Now, the bad news. Kids’ oral health in Maine is not great—at least according to the report. The state ranked a measly 43rd. This category looks at overall oral health among children as well as the availability of statewide programs—or lack thereof.

As concerning as that ranking is, it wasn’t even the lowest. That unfortunate distinction goes to kids’ nutrition, physical activity, and obesity, where Maine ranked 48th. If that’s not a warning sign, I don’t know what is. It’s inexcusable—and frankly, ridiculous. We Mainers need to turn this around. We need to do better for our children.

Where Do New England States Rank in Children's Health?

As mentioned earlier, Maine is the only state in New England that is struggling. In fact, the region largely dominated this study. Here’s where the other five states ranked:

1. Massachusetts
2. Rhode Island
3. Connecticut
4. Vermont
11. New Hampshire

That’s pretty impressive. Meanwhile, Maine is getting left in the dust—and it really shouldn’t be the case.

READ MORE: These are the 25 Mountains in Maine You Need to Climb at Least Once

Let’s hope we see some serious improvement over the next year. So let’s get these kids outside, active, and energized—and give them the best chance at a healthy future.