With National Doctors’ Day coming up on March 30 and the median physician’s salary at around $208,000, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022's Best & Worst States for Doctors, as well as accompanying videos and expert commentary.
To identify the best states for those in the business of saving lives, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 19 key metrics. The data set ranges from the average annual wage of physicians to hospitals per capita to the quality of the public hospital system.
| Best States for Doctors | Worst States for Doctors |
| 1. South Dakota | 42. Oregon |
| 2. Minnesota | 43. Massachusetts |
| 3. Wisconsin | 44. Vermont |
| 4. Montana | 45. Hawaii |
| 5. Idaho | 46. Alaska |
| 6. Iowa | 47. New Jersey |
| 7. Nebraska | 48. Delaware |
| 8. Kansas | 49. District of Columbia |
| 9. North Dakota | 50. New York |
| 10. Mississippi | 51. Rhode Island |
Best vs. Worst:
- Mississippi has the highest average annual wage for surgeons (adjusted for cost of living), $320,629, which is 1.9 times higher than in California, the lowest at $168,876.
- Mississippi has the lowest number of physicians per 1,000 residents, 1.24, which is 4.7 times lower than in the District of Columbia, the highest at 5.86.
- Florida has the highest projected share of the population aged 65 and older by 2030, 27.08 percent, which is two times higher than in Utah, the lowest at 13.21 percent.
- Nebraska has the lowest annual malpractice liability insurance rate, $4,530, which is 8.1 times lower than in New York, the highest at $36,659.
To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please click here.