10 States with Lowest Physician Density

Knowing those states with lowest physician density rates could be important both personally and professionally. When choosing a place to live, it is important to take into account a diversity of elements, from geographical features, to job opportunities and amenities. And indeed if you are a physician, the physician density is an important variable to take into account, for different reasons.

The main reason is of course the job opportunities related to the amount of physicians over the total state’s population. Some of the elements indexes consider when featuring best and worst states to practice medicine include tax burden, malpractice claims per capita, and of course, physician density. We have already compiled a list of the 10 Best States To Practice Medicine, showing some of the states in which the conditions and demand for physicians make for a combination of rewarding work and high remuneration.

Yet this is not the end of the story. It is important to recall that millions of Americans are anticipated to gain health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. This means, for physicians, enhanced job security, as well as a higher demand for their services and higher compensation. But the new situation might also imply the need to adjust to a larger flow of patients, without losing quality and watching costs. Contrary to what many would think, medical professionals in the states with lowest physician density are likely to have the hardest time fitting new patients into their schedules, as they’ll likely have more business than they can handle.

Whether you go very often to the doctor, or if you are one, it is important to know the physician density rates per state, and these are the ten with the lowest. Check out the list of the states with lowest physician density:

No. 10 Iowa

Physician Density: 208.6

Cost of Living: 92.5

Tax Burden: $3,740

Medicare GPCI: 1

No. 9 Texas

Physician Density: 207.9

Cost of Living: 92.8

Tax Burden: $3,088

Medicare GPCI: 1.007*

No. 8 Utah

Physician Density: 203.2.

The cost of Living: 93

Tax Burden: $3,304

Medicare GPCI: 1

No. 7 Alabama

Physician Density: 200.8

Cost of Living: 92.4

Tax Burden: $2,886

Medicare GPCI: 1

No. 6 Oklahoma

Physician Density: 198

Cost of Living: 90.4

Tax Burden: $3,187

Medicare GPCI: 1

No. 5 Nevada

Physician Density: 194.3

Cost of Living: 100.2

Tax Burden: $3,221

Medicare GPCI: 1.001

No.4 Wyoming

Physician Density: 191.2

Cost of Living: 93.2

Tax Burden: $3,500

Medicare GPCI: 1

No. 3 Arkansas

Physician Density: 190.9

Cost of Living: 92.5

Tax Burden: $3,405

Medicare GPCI: 1

No. 2 Idaho

Physician Density: 184.1

Cost of Living: 94.2

Tax Burden: $3,189

Medicare GPCI: 1

And the state to best all other states with lowest physician density is…(drumroll)