West Virginia leads the nation for healthcare employment as a percent of total employment, while Nevada is last.
The data comes from Kaiser Family Foundation, which ranked states by healthcare employment as a percent of total employment based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' State Occupational Employment Statistics Survey for May 2021, which was released in March 2022. Healthcare employment includes occupations in ambulatory care, hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities.
Below are states' healthcare employment as a percent of total employment, ranked in descending order. The national average is 12 percent.
West Virginia: 16 percent
New York: 15 percent
Maine: 14 percent
Rhode Island: 14 percent
Massachusetts: 14 percent
Pennsylvania: 14 percent
South Dakota: 14 percent
Minnesota: 14 percent
Louisiana: 14 percent
Ohio: 14 percent
North Dakota: 13 percent
Vermont: 13 percent
Connecticut: 13 percent
Delaware: 13 percent
Michigan: 13 percent
Alaska: 13 percent
Indiana: 13 percent
Montana: 13 percent
New Jersey: 13 percent
New Mexico: 12 percent
Maryland: 12 percent
Florida: 12 percent
Idaho: 12 percent
Arkansas: 12 percent
Missouri: 12 percent
Kansas: 12 percent
Kentucky: 12 percent
New Hampshire: 12 percent
Alabama: 12 percent
Arizona: 12 percent
Iowa: 12 percent
Wisconsin: 12 percent
Mississippi: 12 percent
Tennessee: 12 percent
Nebraska: 12 percent
North Carolina: 12 percent
Oregon: 11 percent
Illinois: 11 percent
Texas: 11 percent
Oklahoma: 11 percent
South Carolina: 11 percent
Hawaii: 11 percent
Colorado: 11 percent
Washington: 11 percent
California: 11 percent
Georgia: 10 percent
Virginia: 10 percent
Wyoming: 10 percent
Utah: 10 percent
Nevada: 9 percent