Methodology

To create the list, WalletHub evaluated all 50 U.S. states on 20 different metrics across two key dimensions:

• Opportunity and competition, which included monthly average starting salary for nurses, average annual salary, quality of nursing schools, and nurses per 1,000 residents (70 points)
• Work environment, which included average number of work hours, mandatory overtime restrictions, ratio of nurses to hospital beds, job growth, and quality of public hospital systems (30 points)

Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for nurses. A weighted average across all metrics was used to calculate a state's overall score and determine its rank order.

Data for the rankings was collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Council for Community and Economic Research, CDC, and more.

The best (and worst) states for nurses

According to WalletHub, the 10 best states for nurses were:

1. Maine (total score: 64.99)
2. New Hampshire (total score: 64.76)
3. Washington (total score: 64.75)
4. Oregon (total score: 62.44)
5. Arizona (total score: 61.96)
6. West Virginia (total score: 58.50)
7. Minnesota (total score: 58.36)
8. Montana (total score: 58.29)
9. Connecticut (total score: 58.02)
10. Florida (total score: 55.99)

WalletHub also reported states' rankings on several different metrics, including:

• Nursing job openings per capita: New Hampshire had the most job openings per capita, and California had the fewest.
• Annual nursing salary (adjusted for cost of living): Michigan had the highest annual salary, and Hawaii had the lowest.
• Healthcare facilities per capita: Montana had the most healthcare facilities per capita, and Nevada had the fewest.
• Competition by 2032: Massachusetts had the lowest competition, and North Dakota had the highest.
• Percentage of population aged 65+ by 2050: Maine had the highest percentage, and Utah had the lowest.