The Top 5 Happiest States For Nurses to Work in

Nurses deciding on what position to take can be influenced by many factors. The place, the pay, and the responsibilities associated with the position are three of the top ones. Happiness is another factor that can make a difference in job satisfaction overall. Here are the top five happiest states for nurses to live in.

Determining the Rankings

To determine the rankings for the happiest states to live in, several factors were considered. These included:

Quality of life: The natural and social environment in each state.

Nurse salaries: Because each state has different pay rates and costs of living, the average annual cost of living for a single adult, average nurse’s salary, and cost of living were averaged together to get each number.

Demand for Nurses: Are nurses in demand in a specific state or do they have a surplus?

Average Hospital Ratings: Nurses leave ratings anonymously for hospitals they’ve worked at. These ratings have been averaged together.

Top Five-Ranked Happiest States for Nurses

1. Minnesota

The average salary for a nurse in this midwestern stateis $72,310. It ranked 2nd when it came to the quality of life there and hospitals were rated positively by nurses at 86%. But there is a surplus of nurses in the state and it is ranked 10th for the cost of living vs. pay.

2. Wisconsin

Wisconsin, known for its famous cheese heads, ranked 3rd in quality of life. With an average pay of $66,400, the state ranked 19th when it came to the cost of living. 88% of nurses like working in Wisconsin hospitals. But there is a surplus of nurses by 6,200.

3. Oregon

This northwestern state pays its nurses $83,800 on average and it ranks 4th when it comes to the cost of living vs. pay. Unlike the top two states, its quality of life ranked 18th. Oregon’s hospital ranking is a mystery, though. The data proved inconclusive.

4. Alaska

Alaska, like Oregon, pays its nurses quite well at $88,510. It ranked 3rd for the cost of living vs. pay. Nurses here ranked the hospitals at 78% and it follows behind Oregon for quality of life at #18.

5. Colorado

Colorado rounds out the top five happiest states for nurses with a quality of life ranking of 10. Nurses in this state are paid $69,990 and the state is ranked 16th for pay compared to the cost of living. It’s also popular for nurses to live here with 63,000 nurses living here already.

If you want to make a change in jobs by moving to one of these states, head over to NexNurse. NexNurse features nursing jobs from employers nationwide. Create a profile today!