The cost of a hospital stay vs. minimum wage in all 50 states

In the majority of U.S. states, a person making minimum wage would have to work upwards of 1,000 hours to afford an average hospital stay, according to a recent study

The study was conducted by LendingTree's research and analytics arm, ValuePenguin. The company analyzed data from KFF, Definitive Healthcare and BLS to compare the cost of an average hospital stay in each state — the average stay being 4.5 days, per Definitive Healthcare — to the minimum wage in that state. Then, analysts calculated how many hours a person would need to work at minimum wage to cover that amount. 

Nationwide, the average cost of a hospital stay is $2,883 per day — a 161.7% increase from the $1,102 it cost in 1999. A minimum wage worker in Utah would have to work more hours than in any other state to afford an average hospital stay, while a minimum wage worker in South Dakota would have to work the fewest hours. 

Here are all 50 states and the District of Columbia, ranked by the hours of minimum wage work needed to afford the average hospital stay, according to ValuePenguin:

1. Utah

Cost of hospital stay: $14,306

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,973

 

2. Indiana

Cost of hospital stay: $13,631

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,880

 

3. New Hampshire

Cost of hospital stay: $13,217

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,823

 

4. Texas

Cost of hospital stay: $13,109

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,808

 

5. Idaho

Cost of hospital stay: $12,897

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,779

 

6. Pennsylvania

 

Cost of hospital stay: $12,713

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,753

 

7. Wisconsin

Cost of hospital stay: $12,191

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,681

 

8. North Carolina

Cost of hospital stay: $11,579

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,597

 

9. South Carolina

Cost of hospital stay: $11,300

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,559

 

10. Louisiana

Cost of hospital stay: $11,156

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,539

 

11. Kentucky

Cost of hospital stay: $11,106

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,532

 

12. Tennessee

Cost of hospital stay: $11,030

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,521

 

13. Ohio

Cost of hospital stay: $14,229

Minimum wage: $10.01

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,421

 

14. Kansas

Cost of hospital stay: $10,215

Minimum Wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,409

 

15. Oklahoma

Cost of hospital stay: $9,941

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,371

 

16. Georgia

Cost of hospital stay: $9,662

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,333

 

17. North Dakota

Cost of hospital stay: $9,630

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,328

 

18. New Mexico

Cost of hospital stay: $15,719

Minimum wage: $12

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,310

 

19. Delaware

Cost of hospital stay: $14,774

Minimum wage: $11.75

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,257

 

20. Oregon

Cost of hospital stay: $17,375

Minimum wage: $14.20

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,224

 

21. California

Cost of hospital stay: $18,815

Minimum wage: $15.50

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,214

 

22. Maryland

Cost of hospital stay: $15,480

Minimum wage: $13.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,168

 

23. Iowa

Cost of hospital stay: $8,375

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,155

 

24. New York

Cost of hospital stay: $16,241

Minimum wage: $14.20

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,144

 

25. Alabama

Cost of hospital stay: $8,199

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,131

 

26. Hawaii

Cost of hospital stay: $13,563

Minimum wage: $12

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,130

 

27. Wyoming

Cost of hospital stay: $8,082

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,115

 

28 (tie). West Virginia

Cost of hospital stay: $9,689

Minimum wage: $8.75

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,107

 

28 (tie). Nebraska

Cost of hospital stay: $11,619

Minimum wage: $10.50

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,107

 

30. Washington

Cost of hospital stay: $17,127

Minimum wage: $15.74

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,088

 

31. Colorado

Cost of hospital stay: $14,729

Minimum wage: $13.65

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,079

 

32. Michigan

Cost of hospital stay: $10,742

Minimum wage: $10.10

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,064

 

33. District of Columbia

Cost of hospital stay: $17,883

Minimum wage: $17

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,052

 

34. Rhode Island

Cost of hospital stay: $13,545

Minimum wage: $13

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,042

 

35. Illinois

Cost of hospital stay: $13,487

Minimum wage: $13

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,037

 

36. Arizona

Cost of hospital stay: $14,103

Minimum wage: $13.85

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,018

 

37. Montana

Cost of hospital stay: $10,098

Minimum wage: $9.95

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,015

 

38. Massachusetts

Cost of hospital stay: $15,197

Minimum wage: $15

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,013

 

39. Vermont

Cost of hospital stay: $13,266

Minimum wage: $13.18

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,007

 

40. New Jersey

Cost of hospital stay: $14,207

Minimum wage: $14.13

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,005

 

41. Missouri

Cost of hospital stay: $11,912

Minimum wage: $12

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 993

 

42. Nevada

Cost of hospital stay: $11,138

Minimum wage: $11.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 990

 

43. Florida

Cost of hospital stay: $11,831

Minimum wage: $12

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 986

 

44. Connecticut

Cost of hospital stay: $14,567

Minimum wage: $15

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 971

 

45. Virginia

Cost of hospital stay: $11,331

Minimum wage: $12

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 944

 

46. Maine

Cost of hospital stay: $12,443

Minimum wage: $13.80

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 902

 

47. Arkansas

Cost of hospital stay: $9,410

Minimum wage: $11

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 855

 

48. Mississippi

Cost of hospital stay: $5,873

Minimum wage: $7.25

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 810

 

49. Minnesota

Cost of hospital stay: $11,525

Minimum wage: $15.19

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 759

 

50. Alaska

Cost of hospital stay: $8,213

Minimum wage: $10.85

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 757

 

51. South Dakota

Cost of hospital stay: $7,344

Minimum wage: $10.80

Hours of work needed to afford stay: 680

















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