KENNEWICK — Washington has been named the best state for nurses in a new study from WalletHub, a personal finance website that regularly conducts studies comparing states.
WalletHub’s report ranks all 50 states across 20 metrics to determine the best markets for nurses, just as nursing students across the country are graduating soon.
The metrics fell under two main categories, opportunity and competition and work environment. All metrics were assigned weights, totaling 100, which altogether determine a state’s ranking.
The opportunity and competition category is weighted at 70, including metrics like average starting salary, by month and by year, health care facilities per capita, quality of nursing schools, nursing job openings per capita and others.
The work environment category makes up for the other 30, including metrics like job growth, mandatory overtime restrictions, public hospital system quality and ratio of nurses to hospital beds.
Washington’s final score was 62.38, landing third place in opportunity and competition and seventh in work environment. Second place went to Maine with 60.83, earning ninth and third places, respectively. Washington and Maine are followed by New Mexico, Oregon and New Hampshire.
The worst five states for nurses, according to WalletHub, are Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Hawaii, in order with Hawaii ranking 50. The Aloha state’s total score was 38.86 ranking 50 in opportunity and competition and 43 in work environment.
Interestingly, Washington did not rank in the top five for any high-profile categories, like job openings per capita, annual nursing salary or health care facilities per capita. WalletHub said the state’s strengths were in mandatory overtime restrictions and quality of nursing schools.
