State of affairs The best and worst states for doctors in 2024 Montana leads WalletHub’s new list, while Hawaii comes in last. See where your state landed. April 18, 2024ThursdayApril 2024 issue The DO Staff Contact The DO Staff Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Topics Best and worst statespatient care In 2024, Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska are the best states for practicing medicine, while Hawaii, Rhode Island and New Jersey are the most difficult, according to WalletHub’s recently released list of the best and worst states for physicians. To narrow down the list, WalletHub compared the 50 states and Washington, D.C., in 19 key metrics that impact the practice of medicine, including the average annual wage of physicians, the number of hospitals per capita and the quality of the public hospital system. Each metric received a score out of 100 for each state; the various metrics were then weighted to determine each state’s overall score and ranking in the list. Kentucky, South Carolina and Mississippi provide the highest wages, adjusted for cost of living, while Washington, D.C., Hawaii and Massachusetts had the lowest wages. Source: WalletHub Each state's ranking is displayed on WalletHub's interactive map. Competition for jobs is projected to be the highest in Rhode Island, Washington, D.C., and North Dakota by 2030, while Nevada, Louisiana and Mississippi are projected to be the least competitive states for physicians. Related Below is WalletHub’s list of the best and worst states for doctors—1 being the best, 51 being the worst. WalletHub’s best and worst states for doctors Montana South Dakota Nebraska Utah Indiana Minnesota Wisconsin Idaho Iowa Louisiana Tennessee North Dakota Alabama South Carolina Oklahoma Wyoming Texas Georgia North Carolina Kansas Colorado Michigan Nevada Kentucky Arizona Mississippi Maine Missouri Connecticut Washington New Hampshire Ohio California Virginia Vermont West Virginia Florida Maryland Pennsylvania Arkansas Delaware Alaska Illinois Oregon Washington, D.C. New Mexico New York Massachusetts New Jersey Rhode Island Hawaii Related reading: Advocacy success: West Virginia Governor Jim Justice vetoes bill to eliminate osteopathic medical board Being a DO in a heavily MD residency program: What surprised me More in Profession Compassion in medicine: It’s not just the right thing to do—it also makes the most cents Miko Rose, DO, writes about the impact of compassionate care on the economics of medicine. In Memoriam: May 2024 View the names of recently deceased osteopathic physicians. Previous articleStrategies for planning audition rotations Next article6 states in 12 months: A guide to life on the road during fourth year
Compassion in medicine: It’s not just the right thing to do—it also makes the most cents Miko Rose, DO, writes about the impact of compassionate care on the economics of medicine.
I disagree! Alaska is a fantastic place to practice medicine. Salaries are highly competitive and we need more doctors in both primary care and specialties! Why such a low ranking? Many jobs available, and physician owned companies are still possible here. Apr. 29, 2024, at 12:44 am Reply
Considering that most of our reimbursement is from insurance companies, many of which are not based in one state, what is causing this discrepancy? Apr. 29, 2024, at 7:14 pm Reply