Career

The Best and Worst States to Be a Nurse in 2023

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