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The 10 Best States for Nurses
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National Nurses' Week comes to a close on Tuesday. Nursing has always been a critical part of the medical industry, and demand for nurses is expected to continue to rise in the coming decades. These states offer the best work environments for nurses.
National Nurses’ Week is comes to a close on Tuesday. Nursing has always been a critical part of the medical industry, and demand for nurses is expected to continue to rise in the coming decades.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the US nursing workforce will grow from 2.71 million in 2012 to 3.24 million by 2022, putting additional strain on an already tight job market.
Of course, nursing is a difficult and demanding job. Thus, factors such as salary, commuting time, and employee benefits can make a major difference.
The personal finance website WalletHub.com recently looked at 15 data points in order to compile a list of the best and worst states to be a nurse. In addition to factors mentioned above, the site also looked at the number of job opportunities, expected job growth, and other labor force factors. They came up with 2 scores for each state, one based on “opportunity and competition,” the other based on work environment.
The site found some interesting bits of information. For instance, they found Nevada nurses earn twice as much as Connecticut nurses when cost of living is factored in. They also found nurses in Maryland spend twice as much time commuting, on average, as nurses in South Dakota.
Kentucky, Hawaii, and Louisiana rounded out the bottom of the list as the worst states to be a nurse. What follows are the best states to be a nurse according to WalletHub.
10. Oklahoma
Opportunity and Competition Rank: 1
Work Environment Rank: 45
9. New Mexico
Opportunity and Competition Rank: 3
Work Environment Rank: 38
8. New Hampshire
Opportunity and Competition Rank: 21
Work Environment Rank: 8
7. Alaska
Opportunity and Competition Rank: 20
Work Environment Rank: 6
6. Wyoming
Opportunity and Competition Rank: 7
Work Environment Rank: 31
5. Texas
Opportunity and Competition Rank: 2
Work Environment Rank: 35
4. Wisconsin
Opportunity and Competition Rank: 18
Work Environment Rank: 4
3. Minnesota
Opportunity and Competition Rank: 23
Work Environment Rank: 1
2. Colorado
Opportunity and Competition Rank: 8
Work Environment Rank: 17
1. Washington
Opportunity and Competition Rank: 5
Work Environment Rank: 13
