Washington is the best state for nurses to practice in 2025, according to WalletHub’s annual ranking, which evaluates compensation, opportunities for career growth and working conditions.
To determine the best and worst states for nurses, the financial services company evaluated all 50 states across two key dimensions: opportunity and competition, and work environment. Each state was evaluated on 20 metrics within those dimensions, including average annual salary, healthcare facilities per capita, mandatory overtime restrictions and job growth. More details on the methodology can be found here.
Here are the 10 best and worst states for nurses in 2025, per the ranking:
Best
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Oregon
- Arizona
- Maine
- New Mexico
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Illinois
- Connecticut
Worst
50. Oklahoma
49. Alabama
48. North Dakota
47. Hawaii
46. Louisiana
45. South Dakota
44. Mississippi
43. Vermont
42. Tennessee
41. Nebraska
Three more notes:
- Washington (ranked No. 1 overall) placed fifth for the opportunity and competition rank, and second for work environment.
- New Hampshire (ranked second overall), earned the top spot for the work environment rank and placed eighth for opportunity and competition.
- New Mexico (ranked sixth overall) earned the No. 1 spot for opportunity and competition, and ranked 38th for work environment.