Health systems nationwide are short registered nurses; many are raising pay to attract more amid inflation.
In May, WalletHub released its ranking of the best and worst states for nurses. The financial website analyzed 20 metrics that affect the nursing workforce in each state, including nurses per 1,000 residents in an area, average annual salary, commute time, healthcare facilities per capita, and nurse job openings.
It has been documented that nurse burnout and staffing shortages can compromise patient care and safety. However, there appeared to be large discrepancies between what WalletHub considered the best and worst states for nurses, and what U.S. News & World Report considered the best and worst states for healthcare overall. U.S. News' "Best states for healthcare" ranking — also released in May — examined federal data sources to assess healthcare access, quality and outcomes across the nation.
While U.S. News named Hawaii the best state for healthcare, WalletHub named it the worst state for nurses. Hawaii also happens to be the state with the lowest RN hourly mean wage when adjusted for its high cost of living.
To examine this more closely, Becker's compiled cost-of-living adjusted RN hourly mean wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics alongside U.S. News' best and worst states for healthcare.
Notably, the 10th-worst state for healthcare is the highest paying state for nurses. Six of the worst states for healthcare rank in the top half for RN pay; only two of the best states for healthcare can say the same.
Best states for healthcare:
|
State and healthcare rank |
COL-adjusted RN hourly mean wage |
State pay rank out of 50 |
|
1. Hawaii |
$28.16 |
50 |
|
2. Rhode Island |
$36.20 |
41 |
|
3. Massachusetts |
$37.09 |
36 |
|
4. Maryland |
$34.11 |
45 |
|
5. Connecticut |
$37.27 |
34 |
|
6. California |
$45.14 |
2 |
|
7. Utah |
$37.10 |
35 |
|
8. New Jersey |
$40.35 |
14 |
|
9. New York |
$32.48 |
47 |
|
10. Pennsylvania |
$37.81 |
31 |
Worst states for healthcare:
|
State and healthcare rank |
COL-adjusted RN hourly mean wage |
State pay rank out of 50 |
|
50. West Virginia |
$38.03 |
27 |
|
49. Mississippi |
$34.85 |
44 |
|
48. Oklahoma |
$41.45 |
10 |
|
47. Arkansas |
$34.89 |
43 |
|
46. Kentucky |
$39.90 |
16 |
|
45. Louisiana |
$39.06 |
22 |
|
44. Alabama |
$36.06 |
42 |
|
43. Indiana |
$39.76 |
17 |
|
42. Wyoming |
$41.17 |
11 |
|
41. Georgia |
$45.54 |
1 |