The methods such as Rotated Empirical Orthogonal Function (REOF) and Power Spectrum are used to analyze the typical spatial and temporal characteristics of potential photothermal productivity and potential climatic productivity of maize from 1961 to 2007 in Northeast China. The results indicate that the photothermal potential productivity shows a significant increasing trend in recent years, while the potential climatic productivity shows a decreasing trend. Both of the two types of productivity have distinct interannual change, and the main variation period is about 7 to 9 years. Besides that, the potential climate productivity of maize also has the periods of 3 and 5 years. The change of photothermal potential productivity of maize in the southwestern part is opposite to that in the northeastern part. Most parts of Liaoning Province, the western Jilin Province, and the southwestern Heilongjiang Province have high photothermal potential productivity, while in the eastern Northeast China the photothermal potential productivity is relatively low. The areas with high potential climate productivity of maize are in the southeastern Northeast China, and the areas with low productivity are in the western Northeast China.