Nurse appreciation week kicks off this Friday, and after the last couple of years, a lot of nurses certainly deserve a lot of our appreciation. But it turns out, it’s definitely more beneficial to be a nurse in some states than others, and a new report reveals which ones are best.
WalletHub has just come out with its list of the Best States for Nurses. They looked at all 50 states across 22 factors, in two categories: opportunity & competition and work environment. Factors taken into consideration include such things as a monthly average starting salary, annual salary, healthcare facilities per capita, quality of nursing schools, the ratio of nurses to hospital beds, and more.
Topping the list as the best state for nurses is Washington, which scores 61.62 out of 100. Washington lands at five for opportunity and competition and six for the work environment. Maine, which ranks second overall, is tops for the work environment, while New Mexico, third overall, is number one for opportunity & competition.
As for the bottom of the barrel, Oklahoma is the worst state for nurses, scoring a 38.78 and coming in at 46 (out of 50) for opportunity & competition and 44 (out of 50) for the work environment.
