Best and worst states for doctors in 2017: See how your state stacks up

Topping the charts for the second year in a row, the Midwest region again has half of the 10 “best” states for doctors to live and work, according to a new list of 2017’s Best & Worst States for Doctors released by WalletHub, a personal finance website, this week. WalletHub’s comparison of the 50 states and Washington, DC, considered each state’s average physicians’ salary, CME requirements and Baby Boomer population, among other variables.

In addition to the overall ranking, the report shares WalletHub’s interpretation of the top five best and worst states for salary, projected physician competition, state medical boards, malpractice payout and malpractice insurance.

This categorical breakdown reveals that Indiana has the highest average physician salary when also factoring in cost of living, while Washington, DC, has the lowest.

According to WalletHub, the 10 best states for doctors are:

1. Iowa
2. Minnesota
3. Idaho
4. Wisconsin
5. Kansas
6. South Dakota
7. Montana
8. Mississippi
9. Alabama
10. Tennessee

WalletHub says the 10 worst states for doctors are:

41. Oregon
42. Delaware
43. Hawaii
44. Maine
45. Connecticut
46. Massachusetts
47. Rhode Island
48. Maryland
49. New Jersey
50. District of Columbia
51. New York

Visit WalletHub for more information on the report’s methodology and the full list of 50 states.