NEW: RI Ranked 21st Best State for Nurses
GoLocalProv News Team
NEW: RI Ranked 21st Best State for Nurses
According to a recent study conducted by WalletHub, Rhode Island is ranked as the 21st best state for nurses.
“Like most segments of the economy, the nursing industry changes based on the country’s socioeconomics. Key issues include the aging U.S. population, the student-loan crisis, and concerns about the future of key entitlement programs. But such concerns are shared by recent graduates in all industries,” writes WalletHub.
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- 40th Best - Opportunity and Competition
- 8th Best - Work Environment
The Rankings
Rhode Island is ranked behind Missouri and Connecticut, who rank 19th and 20th respectively.
RI is ranked ahead of West Virginia and North Carolina, who rank 22nd and 23rd respectively.
Oregon is ranked as the best state for nurses, while the District of Columbia is ranked as the worst.
See the Rankings in the Map Below
The Method
In order to determine the best and worst states for nurses, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two key dimensions, “Opportunity & Competition” and “Work Environment.”
They evaluated those dimensions using 21 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for nurses.
WalletHub then determined each state and the District’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.
Opportunity & Competition – Total Points: 70
- Monthly Average Starting Salary for Nurses: Full Weight (~6.09 Points)
- Average Annual Salary for Nurses: Double Weight (~12.17 Points)
- Health-Care Facilities per Capita: Full Weight (~6.09 Points)
- Share of Population Living in a Primary-Care HPSA: Full Weight (~6.09 Points)
- Projected Share of Elderly Population in 2030: Full Weight (~6.09 Points)
- Quality of Nursing Schools: Half Weight (~3.04 Points)
- Tuition Cost per Credit for BSN Online Program: Full Weight (~6.09 Points)
- Share of Licensed Nursing Professionals Not Working in Nursing: Full Weight (~6.09 Points)
- Nursing-Job Openings per Capita: Full Weight (~6.09 Points)
- Nurses per 1,000 Residents: Full Weight (~6.09 Points)
- Projected Competition in 2026: Full Weight (~6.09 Points)
Work Environment – Total Points: 30
- Mandatory Overtime Restrictions: Double Weight (~5.45 Points)
- Ratio of Nurses to Hospital Beds: Full Weight (~2.73 Points)
- Nurses Job Growth (2018 vs 2014): Double Weight (~5.45 Points)
- Presence of Nursing Licensure Compact Law: Full Weight (~2.73 Points)
- Regulatory Requirement for Nurse Practitioners: Full Weight (~2.73 Points)
- Share of Best Nursing Homes: Full Weight (~2.73 Points)
- Quality of Public Hospital System: Full Weight (~2.73 Points)
- Friendliness Toward Working Moms: Full Weight (~2.73 Points)
- Average Number of Work Hours: Half Weight (~1.36 Points)
- Average Commute Time: Half Weight (~1.36 Points)
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