Every medical student should consider one of these 11 best states for doctors to practice medicine in. Ranked by various criteria, these are the best places in the United States to be a doctor.
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Just finished medical school and have a truckload of student debt you have no idea how to pay off? Not to worry, we have you covered. We have a list of best states in the country to start your fledgling medical career. On average, medical school graduate finishes their education with $176,000 in student loans. If any serious dent is going to be made in that mountain of debt, they have to start making some real money as soon as possible, and states on our list are ideal places to start. Any position from the list of the best paying jobs for doctors in the US in these states will get you out of those student loans in no time.
How does one determine the best state for doctors to practice medicine? First, we start with the most obvious, how much money on average doctors make in said state. But the number on a paycheck won’t tell you much unless you factor in state taxes and costs of living. While doctors in San Francisco earn $250,000 per year, a good chunk of that money goes to their landlords, with average rent in Bay area being $3,458. And that’s not taking into account how much the great state of California will charge you in taxes. So, to get a clear perspective on earnings, we have to take a look at doctor’s disposable income.
Another important factor is the amount of medical malpractice payouts local courts award to the patients. The best way to judge this is by looking into per capita malpractice payouts. These amounts vary wildly across the states. For instance, in 2013 in Alabama per capita malpractice payouts were %5.18, while in New York they reached $38.83. These figures affect the insurance doctors pay, further reducing their disposable income.
But there’s more to life than just salary and worrying about insurance payoffs. The quality of entertainment and cultural offerings is also important, so they were also taken into account when determining 11 best states for doctors to practice medicine.
11. Alabama
Alabama owns its presence on the list by doing several things well enough, without excelling in any of them.
10. Alaska
There’s no income tax in Alaska and doctors get to treat patients with conditions their colleagues in the continental US can only read about in medical journals. That being said, Alaska isn’t for everyone and some serious thinking should be done before deciding to move up there.
9. Nebraska
When the average life expectancy in a state is almost a year longer than the national average, you know they are doing something right in their health sector. Plus, Omaha was declared the best city in America to raise the children in.
8. New Hampshire
With average physicians’ earnings of $300,000 and no tax on wages, New Hampshire seems like a good place to start knocking down student loans.
7. South Carolina
Another well-rounded performer, South Carolina doesn’t distinguish itself in any category especially, but is above average in almost all of them.
6. Idaho
Somewhat below in average doctors’ earnings, Idaho placed high in categories like living expenses and malpractice payouts.
5. Wyoming
Not only it pays its doctors above the national average, Wyoming also doesn’t have an income tax. And there’s a demand for physicians state wide, which makes it number 5 on our list of best states for doctors to practice medicine.
4. Texas
With one of the strongest economies in the United States, Texas treats it doctors very well, including passing legislation hat severely limits malpractice payouts.
3. Oklahoma
With one of the highest incomes for doctors and income tax well below national average, it is easy to see why Oklahoma is placed so high on our list.
2. Mississippi
While doctors’ salaries in Mississippi may be below par compared to other states on our list, very low cost of living, including low property and income taxes in combination with far below average malpractice payouts have secured it second position.
1. Tennessee
The best state for doctors to practice medicine is Tennessee. Their doctors’ earnings are in top 10 and malpractice payouts and income tax are below average nationwide.
