Nurses all over the country are going on strike or walking away from the bedside due to low pay and stressful working conditions. But your life as a nurse can vary dramatically based on where you choose to live and work. WalletHub recently conducted a nationwide study of the best and worst states to be a nurse.
The findings are based on data in two key categories: “Opportunity & Competition” and “Work Environment.” They are scored using 20 different metrics with a range from zero to 100, with 100 being the most favorable for nurses. The states are then ranked on both categories from lowest to highest.
| Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Opportunity & Competition | Work Environment |
| 1 | Washington | 62.38 | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | Maine | 60.83 | 9 | 3 |
| 3 | New Mexico | 59.91 | 1 | 32 |
| 4 | Oregon | 59.63 | 15 | 1 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | 58.31 | 13 | 6 |
| 6 | Minnesota | 57.96 | 27 | 2 |
| 7 | Montana | 56.67 | 2 | 36 |
| 8 | Arizona | 56.36 | 6 | 28 |
| 9 | Texas | 55.36 | 11 | 22 |
| 10 | Wyoming | 55.17 | 5 | 33 |
| 11 | Idaho | 54.64 | 23 | 16 |
| 12 | Wisconsin | 54.54 | 28 | 12 |
| 13 | Connecticut | 54.30 | 34 | 4 |
| 14 | New York | 53.80 | 20 | 20 |
| 15 | Illinois | 53.38 | 22 | 23 |
| 16 | Florida | 53.25 | 4 | 45 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | 53.16 | 31 | 15 |
| 18 | Nevada | 53.13 | 12 | 31 |
| 19 | West Virginia | 53.13 | 18 | 25 |
| 20 | Missouri | 53.12 | 16 | 26 |
| 21 | Alaska | 52.37 | 37 | 13 |
| 22 | North Carolina | 52.27 | 7 | 38 |
| 23 | California | 51.97 | 30 | 21 |
| 24 | Iowa | 51.45 | 25 | 29 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | 51.14 | 33 | 18 |
| 26 | Kansas | 50.68 | 29 | 27 |
| 27 | South Dakota | 50.63 | 48 | 5 |
| 28 | Utah | 50.49 | 40 | 14 |
| 29 | Massachusetts | 50.48 | 44 | 8 |
| 30 | Indiana | 50.48 | 14 | 37 |
| 31 | Ohio | 50.16 | 17 | 35 |
| 32 | North Dakota | 49.87 | 47 | 10 |
| 33 | Maryland | 49.18 | 46 | 11 |
| 34 | Michigan | 49.03 | 10 | 47 |
| 35 | Colorado | 49.03 | 39 | 24 |
| 36 | New Jersey | 49.00 | 41 | 17 |
| 37 | Virginia | 48.96 | 24 | 39 |
| 38 | South Carolina | 48.85 | 21 | 40 |
| 39 | Georgia | 48.74 | 8 | 49 |
| 40 | Kentucky | 48.70 | 19 | 41 |
| 41 | Delaware | 48.25 | 42 | 19 |
| 42 | Vermont | 47.34 | 49 | 9 |
| 43 | Tennessee | 46.88 | 36 | 34 |
| 44 | Nebraska | 46.04 | 43 | 30 |
| 45 | Louisiana | 45.14 | 26 | 50 |
| 46 | Mississippi | 44.84 | 35 | 44 |
| 47 | Alabama | 44.69 | 32 | 48 |
| 48 | Arkansas | 43.49 | 38 | 46 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | 41.85 | 45 | 42 |
| 50 | Hawaii | 38.86 | 50 | 43 |
About the Data:
The researchers took the weighted average of the scores across both categories to calculate the total. Opportunity and Competition account for 70 percent of the state’s final score, while Work Environment makes up the other 30 percent.
Opportunity and Competition include:
- Monthly Average Starting Salary for Nurses (Adjusted for Cost of Living): 6.67 Points
- Average Annual Salary for Nurses (Adjusted for Cost of Living): 13.33 Points
- Health-Care Facilities per Capita: 6.67 Points
- Share of Population Living in a Primary-Care Health Resources & Services Administration: 6.67 Points
- Projected Share of Elderly Population in 2030: 6.67 Points
- Quality of Nursing Schools: 3.33 Points
- Tuition Cost per Credit for BSN Online Program: 6.67 Points
- Nursing-Job Openings per Capita: 6.67 Points
- Nurses per Capita: 6.67 Points
- Projected Competition in 2030: 6.67 Points
Work Environment includes:
- Mandatory Overtime Restrictions: 5.45 Points
- Ratio of Nurses to Hospital Beds: 2.73 Points
- Nurses Job Growth (2021 vs 2017): 5.45 Points
- Presence of Nursing Licensure Compact Law: 2.73 Points
- Regulatory Requirement for Nurse Practitioners: 2.73 Points
- Share of Best Nursing Homes: 2.73 Points
- Quality of Public Hospital System Based on CMS Data: 2.73 Points
- Friendliness Toward Working Moms: 2.73 Points
- Average Number of Work Hours: 1.36 Points
- Average Commute Time: 1.36 Points
