The Results Are In: These Are America’s Best and Worst States for Doctors

Being a doctor can be a challenging career path. The profession typically requires over a decade of often extremely expensive schooling, and can be stressful and high-stakes—as fans of the show ER or anyone who’s ever been close to a doctor likely know. On the other hand, for many doctors, medicine is an undeniable calling filled with meaning and deep satisfaction.

Of course, not all medical jobs are created equal, and a doctor working in a well-paid position at an adequately staffed hospital will have a much easier time of things than one squeezing in patient after patient while underpaid.

A 2026 report from WalletHub sought to identify the states in the U.S. that are best for physicians, and used 19 different metrics to reach its conclusion. The metrics were categorized into two primary categories. The first category, Opportunity & Competition, took average salaries, cost-of-living-adjusted wages, and other factors related to employment opportunities and medical resident retention into account. The second, Medical Environment, is based on physician burnout rates, hospital quality and safety grades, malpractice insurance costs, and other factors related to physician and patient well-being.

See the results in the table below:

Overall Rank	State	Total Score	Opportunity & Competition Rank	Medical Environment Rank
1	Montana	66.15	2	15
2	Indiana	64.47	7	8
3	Louisiana	63.94	3	26
4	South Dakota	63.20	4	27
5	Minnesota	63.01	13	7
6	North Dakota	62.91	10	14
7	Missouri	62.65	1	42
8	Nebraska	62.37	24	3
9	Iowa	62.28	6	30
10	Wisconsin	61.43	14	18
11	Mississippi	61.41	8	32
12	Utah	61.23	31	1
13	Kansas	61.19	15	19
14	South Carolina	61.11	20	6
15	Idaho	60.31	5	43
16	West Virginia	60.31	9	37
17	Oklahoma	60.22	21	9
18	Tennessee	60.16	19	12
19	North Carolina	59.64	29	4
20	Florida	59.30	16	35
21	Alabama	58.99	11	41
22	Georgia	58.98	18	31
23	Arizona	57.96	17	40
24	Arkansas	57.65	22	28
25	Michigan	57.26	23	29
26	Colorado	57.24	26	20
27	Texas	57.23	30	11
28	Maine	56.98	34	5
29	Kentucky	56.66	12	50
30	Nevada	54.53	33	22
31	Virginia	54.05	37	13
32	Ohio	53.98	28	44
33	Washington	53.94	27	45
34	Alaska	53.91	47	2
35	Delaware	53.07	38	17
36	Wyoming	52.76	25	48
37	Massachusetts	52.59	35	34
38	New Hampshire	52.59	36	25
39	California	52.25	42	16
40	Connecticut	51.33	46	10
41	Pennsylvania	51.33	41	33
42	Vermont	50.79	44	23
43	Maryland	50.55	39	39
44	Oregon	49.37	43	36
45	New Mexico	48.89	40	46
46	Illinois	48.83	32	51
47	District of Columbia	46.59	49	21
48	Hawaii	45.98	45	49
49	Rhode Island	45.85	50	24
50	New Jersey	44.03	51	38
51	New York	43.89	48	47

According to the analysis, Montana just might be the best state in America for doctors. Patients ranked hospitals in the states quite highly, with 78% of patients in the state ranking their hospital experiences 9 or 10 out of 10 on a scale of 0 to 10.

Doctors are also well-paid there. Anaesthesiologists and surgeons make over $400,000 per year on average according to the report, while psychiatrists average $263,000 annually. The state also ranked lowest in the analysis for physician burnout rate. Indiana followed Montana, gaining points for its high starting salaries for physicians and low physician burnout rate. Meanwhile, New York was ranked the worst state for doctors, followed by New Jersey.

All the factors considered in WalletHub's analysis are important to consider for doctors looking to relocate—or choosing a place to establish their practice. “Setting up a practice in one of the best states for doctors can have a profound effect on your medical career," says WalletHub data analyst Chip Lupo. "Not only will you be working in top-quality medical facilities and earning high salaries, you’ll be less likely to burn out, and pay less for malpractice insurance. Meanwhile, residents living in one of the best states for doctors will have access to quality healthcare at a reasonable cost."

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