If you are a physician or surgeon looking to find your perfect new home state, take a look into our list of the 25 best states for physicians and surgeons.
Many people have a great fear of visiting the doctor. I have personally had quite a few awful and particularly traumatizing experiences with various medical professionals. Most notably was a situation in which my appendix was actively bursting, and I ended up waiting for 12 hours (with no pain killers) and almost going septic before my parents hijacked a wheelchair and rushed me to a different hospital. Because of most peoples’ innate fear of doctor’s offices and hospitals, medical professionals have a great responsibility to not only perform their main medical function, but to also provide some level of bedside comfort to their patients.
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The decision to enter the medical field is quite a commitment. A medical education in America generally requires a 4-year Bachelors degree, a 4-year medical degree, and 3 to 7 years spent in an extremely intense residency program. The hours are long and irregular. The mental, physical, and emotional tolls are enormous. Your entire life is dedicated to the wellbeing of others. This can— of course— be extraordinarily rewarding, but also quite stressful.
Also, if you are a prospective doctor who has not yet determined which field of medicine you should practice, feel free to take a look into our article on the 25 best states for pediatricians.
Deciding which states qualify as the “best” is not a simple task. Different factors matter more to different people. We decided to consult the Bureau of Labor Statistics for information on the average mean wage and the number of employees in each state. We then sourced information on the cost of living index from Missouri Economic Research And Information Center. Considering all of these factors, we were able to sort our list.
Without further ado, here is our list of 25 best states for physicians and surgeons.
25. Virginia
Cost of living index: 100.2
Annual mean wage: $224,380
Hourly mean wage: $107.87
Number of employees: 7,360
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24. Ohio
Cost of living index: 93
Annual mean wage: $208,440
Hourly mean wage: $100.21
Number of employees: 14,550
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23. Louisiana
Cost of living index: 94.4
Annual mean wage: $212,920
Hourly mean wage: $102.36
Number of employees: 3,560
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22. North Carolina
Cost of living index: 94.2
Annual mean wage: $213,140
Hourly mean wage: $102.47
Number of employees: 10,740
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21. Missouri
Cost of living index: 90.8
Annual mean wage: $206,070
Hourly mean wage: $99.07
Number of employees: 4,320
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20. North Dakota
Cost of living index: 98.9
Annual mean wage: $224,550
Hourly mean wage: $107.95
Number of employees: 400
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19. Kansas
Cost of living index: 90.4
Annual mean wage: $206,530
Hourly mean wage: $99.29
Number of employees: 4,170
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18. New Hampshire
Cost of living index: 119.2
Annual mean wage: $272,820
Hourly mean wage: $131.16
Number of employees: 1,820
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17. Texas
Cost of living index: 90.7
Annual mean wage: $207,750
Hourly mean wage: $99.87
Number of employees: 18,860
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16. Colorado
Cost of living index: 102.1
Annual mean wage: $239,540
Hourly mean wage: $115.16
Number of employees: 2,530
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15. West Virginia
Cost of living index: 95.7
Annual mean wage: $229,110
Hourly mean wage: $110.14
Number of employees: 2,990
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14. Montana
Cost of living index: 100.8
Annual mean wage: $242,010
Hourly mean wage: $116.35
Number of employees: 1,100
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13. South Dakota
Cost of living index: 102.8
Annual mean wage: $248,270
Hourly mean wage: $119.36
Number of employees: 410
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12. Utah
Cost of living index: 92.8
Annual mean wage: $224,260
Hourly mean wage: $107.81
Number of employees: 1,850
We’re halfway through our list of best states for physicians and surgeons, and now, let’s see the other half.
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11. Georgia
Cost of living index: 91.4
Annual mean wage: $221,370
Hourly mean wage: $106.42
Number of employees: 9,460
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10. New Mexico
Cost of living index: 95.7
Annual mean wage: $233,660
Hourly mean wage: $112.33
Number of employees: 1,700
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9. Idaho
Cost of living index: 89.6
Annual mean wage: $219,520
Hourly mean wage: $105.53
Number of employees: 960
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8. Iowa
Cost of living index: 91.7
Annual mean wage: $228,980
Hourly mean wage: $110.08
Number of employees: 2,600
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7. Minnesota
Cost of living index: 101.1
Annual mean wage: $253,440
Hourly mean wage: $121.84
Number of employees: 3,980
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6. Wisconsin
Cost of living index: 96.9
Annual mean wage: $251,400
Hourly mean wage: $120.86
Number of employees: 5,580
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5. Oklahoma
Cost of living index: 88.6
Annual mean wage: $230,060
Hourly mean wage: $110.60
Number of employees: 2,670
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4. Indiana
Cost of living index: 87.9
Annual mean wage: $229,120
Hourly mean wage: $110.15
Number of employees: 8,990
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3. Alabama
Cost of living index: 91.2
Annual mean wage: $242,890
Hourly mean wage: $116.77
Number of employees: 5,350
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2. Tennessee
Cost of living index: 89.8
Annual mean wage: $247,360
Hourly mean wage: $118.92
Number of employees: 6,220
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1. Wyoming
Cost of living index: 91.7
Annual mean wage: $259,940
Hourly mean wage: $124.97
Number of employees: 380
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This was our list of 25 best states for physicians and surgeons. We hope we managed to show you some great options, and what you should expect from each state when deciding where to move.
