What states in the U.S. are the best for practicing medicine? Survey results published March 27 on WalletHub.com rank states in the midsection of the country as being the most friendly to doctors, while those on the coasts are less accommodating.
The new survey ranks physician-friendliness using a variety of factors, from average annual wage to least expensive malpractice liability insurance. Other major factors include how fierce the competition from other doctors will be by 2024, how punitive each state's medical board is, and each state's per capita malpractice award payouts.
| WalletHub's best and worst states to practice medicine in the U.S. | |
| Ranking | State |
| 1 | South Dakota |
| 2 | Nebraska |
| 3 | Idaho |
| 4 | Iowa |
| 5 | Minnesota |
| 47 | District of Columbia |
| 48 | Hawaii |
| 49 | New York |
| 50 | Rhode Island |
| 51 | New Jersey |
When it comes to average annual salary, the best states (in order) were Mississippi, South Dakota, Iowa, Georgia, and Tennessee. The states with the lowest annual wage were Oregon, California, New York, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia.
Regarding projected rates of physician competition by 2024, the least competitive states were Idaho, Alaska, Nevada, Mississippi, and South Dakota. The most competitive states were projected to be Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia.
Full details of the report are available on WalletHub.com.
