Just over 19 percent — or 1,167 of 6,051 — of all hospitals in the U.S. are experiencing critical staffing shortages, according to HHS data posted Jan. 6.
A critical staffing shortage is based on a facility's needs and internal policies for staffing ratios, according to HHS. Hospitals using temporary staff to meet staffing ratios are not counted among those experiencing a shortage.
Percent of hospitals in each state and the District of Columbia experiencing critical staffing shortages, ranked in descending order:
1. Vermont: 52.94 percent
2. New Mexico: 51.85 percent
3. Rhode Island: 46.67 percent
4. West Virginia: 35.48 percent
5. California: 35.45 percent
6. Arizona: 34.78 percent
7. Kentucky: 31.3 percent
8. South Carolina: 30.59 percent
9. New Hampshire: 30 percent
10. Oklahoma: 29.93 percent
11. Wisconsin: 29.53 percent
12. Missouri: 28.78 percent
13. North Dakota: 28.57 percent
14. Massachusetts: 28.16 percent
15. Michigan: 26.99 percent
16. Wyoming: 25.81 percent
17. Louisiana: 25.78 percent
18. Kansas: 25.17 percent
19. Colorado: 24.76 percent
20. Indiana: 24.7 percent
21. Georgia: 23.98 percent
22. Alabama: 23.93 percent
23. Tennessee: 23.36 percent
24. Nebraska: 21.21 percent
25. Virginia: 18.87 percent
26. Arkansas: 18.18 percent
27. Minnesota: 17.99 percent
28. Ohio: 17.18 percent
29. Pennsylvania: 16.52 percent
30. New Jersey: 15.96 percent
31. Washington: 15.69 percent
32. Florida: 14.98 percent
33. Hawaii: 12 percent
34. Maryland: 11.67 percent
35. Mississippi: 10.19 percent
36. Idaho: 9.8 percent
37. Oregon: 9.52 percent
37. Iowa: 9.52 percent
39. North Carolina: 9.3 percent
40. Alaska: 8.7 percent
41. Connecticut: 8.11 percent
42. Illinois: 8.04 percent
43. Maine: 7.89 percent
44. Montana: 7.58 percent
45. Delaware: 6.67 percent
46. Nevada: 6.56 percent
47. New York: 5.97 percent
48. South Dakota: 4.62 percent
49. Utah: 3.51 percent
50. Texas: 3.2 percent
51. District of Columbia: 0 percent