Portland, Maine Outshines Most U.S. Cities for Summer Employment

Maine’s largest city is famous for a long list of attractions.

From its rich history and award-winning food scene to its vibrant nightlife and picturesque working waterfront, Portland has plenty to offer.

Now, the city can add another honor to the list — being named one of the best cities in America for summer jobs. It's time to go to work, Maine.

Is Portland, Maine, a Good City for Summer Employment?

Wallethub.com, a popular personal finance website, has published its annual report on the best American cities to for summer jobs. Not only can Portland be found near the top of the list, but it’s also one of the highest-ranked New England cities.

Portland ranks as the 7th best city for summer job opportunities, out of 182 cities included in WalletHub.com’s survey. That’s an incredible ranking for Portland, especially considering it’s one of the top cities in the Northeast.

Maine scored 55.11 out of a possible 100 points. The scoring system is based on two main categories: Youth Job Market and Social Environment & Affordability. These categories are further broken down into 21 subcategories to ensure a detailed analysis. You can read more about the methodology here.

Maine finished with an overall ranking of 16th in the Youth Job Market category. Portland is a tourist town, after all. Just think of the countless seasonal opportunities available to Maine’s young workforce. I imagine the number of opportunities just continues to get better every year.

Maine did slightly better in Social Environment & Affordability, finishing 112th overall  I'm not surprised to see such a high ranking in this category. That said, it is a bit unexpected—Portland isn't exactly known for its affordability. However, this just goes to show that we’re not alone in facing the widespread issue of rising housing and living costs. As for social environment, Portland absolutely hits it out of the park.

What is the Best City in America for Summer Employment?

While Portland had a strong showing, one New England city had the strongest of them all. South Burlington, VT finished in the number 1 spot. Congrats to our neighbors in the Green Mountain State.

Portland wasn’t the only Maine city represented in the survey, either. Lewiston was also included and performed quite well, finishing with an overall ranking of 30th. This included a solid 24th-place ranking in youth job opportunities.

The rest of the top five included Scottsdale, Rapid City, Columbia, and Pearl City.

READ MORE: Here’s the Full Lineup for L.L. Bean’s Free Summer Concert Series 2026 in Freeport, Maine

Coming in dead last was Baton Rouge. There are probably a few jokes that could be made there, but we’ll just move on.

You can check out the entire list here.