With data from Projections Central and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Forbes assessed each state by four factors: employment level, concentration of nurses, job outlook and salary.
The top five states for each metric:
Employment level:
California: 325,620
Texas: 231,060
Florida: 197,630
New York: 190,470
Pennsylvania: 137,970
Concentration of nurses, or number of nurses per 1,000 jobs:
South Dakota: 32.99
West Virginia: 31.13
North Dakota: 27.88
Massachusetts: 26.39
Mississippi: 25.96
Job outlook, or projected increase in demand between 2020 and 2030:
California: 21,200 projected positions
Texas: 16,210
New York: 14,430
Florida: 13,250
Pennsylvania: 9,280
Average salary:
California: $133,340
Hawaii: $113,220
Oregon: $106,610
Massachusetts: $104,150
Alaska: $103,310
