About the list

WalletHub ranked the 50 states and Washington, D.C., based on 19 weighted metrics grouped into two categories: "Opportunity and Competition," worth up to 70 points, and "Medical Environment," worth up to 30 points.

The Opportunity and Competition category consisted of 11 weighted metrics, including:

• Physicians' average annual wage (11.67 points)
• Physicians' average monthly starting salary (5.83 points)
• Hospitals per capita (5.83 points)
• Insured population rate (5.83 points)

The Medical Environment category consisted of eight metrics, each weighted at 3.75 points, including:

• Quality of public hospital systems
• Presence of nationally accredited health departments
• Punitiveness of state medical boards

Each metric was scored on a 0 to 100-point scale, with 0 representing the least favorable conditions for a provider. WalletHub then used those scores to calculate each state's weighted average across all metrics and determine a final score.

The best and worst states for doctors

WalletHub ranked Montana as the best state to practice medicine in, followed by:

2. South Dakota

3. Nebraska

4. Utah

5. Indiana

6. Minnesota

7. Wisconsin

8. Idaho

9. Iowa

10. Louisiana

The 10 lowest-ranked states in which to practice medicine, according to WalletHub, were:

51. Hawaii

50. Rhode Island

49. New Jersey

48. Massachusetts

47. New York

46. New Mexico

45. District of Columbia

44. Oregon

43. Illinois

42. Alaska

WalletHub also released states' rankings on several individual metrics. For example, Kentucky ranked highest for average annual wage for physicians, adjusted for cost of living, while the District of Columbia ranked the lowest. Michigan had the most punitive state medical board, while the District of Columbia had the least punitive.

The biggest issues facing doctors today

WalletHub also asked a panel of experts, "What are the biggest issues facing doctors today?"

Todd Olszewski, an associate professor and department chair of the department of health sciences at Providence College, noted physician burnout is one of the biggest issues facing medical professionals.

Olszewski said burnout can come from a variety of causes, "including the rise of medical misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in administrative burdens associated with patient documentation and prior authorization." Workforce shortages also "continue to place additional strain on overburdened physicians and their colleagues," he said.

Whitney Zahnd, assistant professor in the department of health management and policy at the University of Iowa, also noted burnout as one of the biggest issues facing doctors today.

"Just four years removed from the start of the pandemic, burnout and stress remain important issues in healthcare," Zahnd said. "Physicians and other health professionals increasingly are working in environments where staffing ratios are not optimal and where workplace violence is increasing. This combined with the tumult of a pandemic and a variety of other concerns makes burnout a particular challenge." (Kiernan, WalletHub, 3/18)

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