Maine is the best state for nurses to practice in 2026, according to WalletHub’s annual ranking, which evaluates opportunity, competition and working conditions.
To determine the best and worst states for nurses, the personal finance company evaluated all 50 states across two two dimensions: opportunity and competition, and work environment. Those dimensions were evaluated using 20 metrics, ranging from monthly average starting salary for nurses to average commute time.
Analysts graded each metric on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for nurses.
Each state’s weighted average across all metrics was used to calculate its overall score and rank the sample. More information about the methodology is available here.
Here are the 10 best and worst states for nurses in 2026, per the ranking:
Best
1. Maine
2. New Hampshire
3. Washington
4. Oregon
5. Arizona
6. West Virginia
7. Minnesota
8. Montana
9. Connecticut
10. Florida
Worst
50. Oklahoma
49. North Dakota
48. Alabama
47. Mississippi
46. South Dakota
45. Louisiana
44. Tennessee
43. Arkansas
42. Hawaii
41. Virginia
Three notes:
- Though ranked No. 1 overall, Maine placed 10th for the opportunity and competition rank, and third for work environment.
- New Hampshire (ranked second overall), earned the top spot for the work environment rank and placed 12th for opportunity and competition.
- Arizona (ranked fifth overall) was ranked No. 1 for opportunity and competition, and 25th for work environment.
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