UNDATED – With National Nurses Week kicking off May 6, and nurses continuing to serve on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022’s Best & Worst States for Nurses, as well as accompanying videos and expert commentary.
In order to help new nursing graduates find the best markets for their profession, WalletHub compared the relative attractiveness of the 50 states across 21 key metrics. The data set ranges from monthly average starting salary for nurses to health-care facilities per capita to nursing-job openings per capita.
South Dakota ranked 24th overall.
| Best States for Nurses | Worst States for Nurses |
| 1. Washington | 41. Kansas |
| 2. Maine | 42. Georgia |
| 3. New Mexico | 43. South Carolina |
| 4. Minnesota | 44. Tennessee |
| 5. New Hampshire | 45. Louisiana |
| 6. Oregon | 46. Mississippi |
| 7. Arizona | 47. Arkansas |
| 8. Montana | 48. Hawaii |
| 9. Rhode Island | 49. Alabama |
| 10. Connecticut | 50. Oklahoma |
Best vs. Worst
- California has the highest annual mean wage for registered nurses (adjusted for cost of living), $91,709, which is 1.5 times higher than in South Dakota, the lowest at $60,743.
- Utah has the lowest current competition (number of nurses per 1,000 residents), 9, which is 2.2 times lower than in North Dakota, the highest at 20.
- Nevada has the lowest future competition (projected number of nurses per 1,000 residents by 2028), 2, which is 11.5 times lower than in North Dakota, the highest at 23.
- Minnesota has the highest ratio of nurses to hospital beds, 4.99, which is two times higher than in Wyoming, the lowest at 2.44.
To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/
