If you had to pick the most similar US state to Quebec...

[King of Kensington]

The impossible question.  You'd need to throw out language, politics...

Closest seems to be some sort of New York/Louisiana hybrid or something.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Maine

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

Maine

[Samof94]

Maine

I mean, Quebec is quite rural outside of a narrow strip of land.

[Gass3268]

Puerto Rico if it was a state?

[King of Kensington]

Obviously this whole exercise is a stretch.  

It borders the Northeast US, it's very urban but not wealthy.

In some ways, Quebec is like a less populated, poorer New York, maybe a sprinkling of northern New England. Montreal is a city on an island, it's a city of apartments and some of the neighborhoods look a bit Brooklyn or Queens-like, there's a Hasidic presence, the English-speaking community is heavily Italian/Jewish and few WASPs (just look at Montreal's English School Board).  Laurentians can be compared to the Catskills.  Unlike Ontario, Quebec has mountains which in some ways makes it more like NYS.  The Eastern Townships are a bit New England-y.  In the 19th century it was mostly
comprised of descendants of Loyalists and architecture reflects that.  Sherbrooke is an old mill town turned vibrant university town.  Quebec City - no equivalent really, although it is Albany-sized and I guess they were settled around the same time.  Also Albany is about the same distance from NYC as Quebec City is from Albany.

Again.  A stretch and a pointless thought exercise...

[ottermax]

Texas maybe?

A state with a strong identity, a robust energy sector, and plays a significant role in the national conversation although generally outnumbered.

Diverse cities with very non-diverse countryside except the far reaches which have a totally different demographic profile (Latinos in Texas, Indigenous and Inuit in Quebec).

And finally state politics running on less of a left-right spectrum (but for different reasons). Quebec obviously with separatism vs federalism, while Texas is more establishment vs MAGA.

When my bf and I were visiting the Quebec City suburbs he said it reminded him of Austin... which seemed wild to me but I could see the comparison a bit...

[mileslunn]

Puerto Rico if it were a state as every state in US is predominately English speaking while Quebec has a different language than rest of Canada.  Puerto Rico is Spanish speaking thus different language.  In politics better comparisons are Scotland, Basque Country and Catalonia as while those unlike Quebec haven't done as good job of preserving language; they all have separatist movements, parties on right do very badly, while left gets close to national average and rest are separatist parties that don't run nationally.