The best and worst states for physicians

Many of the best states for physicians are located in the Midwest, according to an analysis by personal finance website WalletHub. South Dakota was ranked as the best state for physicians, followed by Nebraska, Idaho, Iowa, and Minnesota. New Jersey was ranked as the worst state, followed by New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York, and Hawaii.

WalletHub based its ranking on 16 weighted metrics for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. These metrics included physicians' average annual wage, physicians’ average monthly starting salary, hospitals per capita, insured population rate, annual malpractice liability insurance rates, presence of interstate medical licensure compact law, projected share of elderly population, punitiveness of state medical board, and quality of public hospital system.

Along with its overall ranking, WalletHub released rankings based on individual metrics. For example, the states with the highest average annual wage for physicians were Mississippi, South Dakota, Iowa, Georgia, and Tennessee. Oregon, California, New York, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia had the lowest average annual wage.

Source: WalletHub