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The Pacific Northwest Lands as The Best States for Nurses in 2020

There’s a deeper appreciation for nurses as they risk their lives every day, during the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the occupation’s risk and stress, the industry forecast is to grow at more than double the average occupation rate through 2028.

The best part of the country to work as a nurse, according to a recent  WalletHub report, is in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon and Washington come in at the number one and number two spots for best states in the country for nurses.

For the report, researchers assessed all 50 states on 22 weighted metrics related to the nursing-job opportunities and competition and the work environment in each market:

  • Overall nursing school quality;
  • The monthly average starting salary for nurses in a state (adjusted for cost of living);
  • The number of nursing-job openings per capita and
  • The number of nurses per 1,000 residents;
  • Any mandatory overtime restrictions;
  • The quality of a state’s public hospital system;
  • The ratio of nurses to hospital beds in a state; and
  • Whether a state has a nursing licensure compact law.

Overall the five best states for nurses in 2020 are:

  1. Oregon;
  2. Washington;
  3. New Mexico;
  4. Minnesota; and
  5. Nevada.

Oregon ranked as the top state for nurses in 2019.

Meanwhile, the five worst states for nurses in 2020, according to the report, are:

  1. New York;
  2. Louisiana;
  3. Hawaii;
  4. Alabama; and
  5. Oklahoma.

You can explore the full list of rankings and learn more about the methodology here. Contact INNOVA People today for our nursing opportunities.