In the majority of U.S. states, a person making minimum wage would have to work upwards of 1,000 hours to afford an average hospital stay, according to a recent study.
The study was conducted by LendingTree's research and analytics arm, ValuePenguin. The company analyzed data from KFF, Definitive Healthcare and BLS to compare the cost of an average hospital stay in each state — the average stay being 4.5 days, per Definitive Healthcare — to the minimum wage in that state. Then, analysts calculated how many hours a person would need to work at minimum wage to cover that amount.
Nationwide, the average cost of a hospital stay is $2,883 per day — a 161.7% increase from the $1,102 it cost in 1999. A minimum wage worker in Utah would have to work more hours than in any other state to afford an average hospital stay, while a minimum wage worker in South Dakota would have to work the fewest hours.
Here are all 50 states and the District of Columbia, ranked by the hours of minimum wage work needed to afford the average hospital stay, according to ValuePenguin:
1. Utah
Cost of hospital stay: $14,306
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,973
2. Indiana
Cost of hospital stay: $13,631
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,880
3. New Hampshire
Cost of hospital stay: $13,217
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,823
4. Texas
Cost of hospital stay: $13,109
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,808
5. Idaho
Cost of hospital stay: $12,897
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,779
6. Pennsylvania
Cost of hospital stay: $12,713
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,753
7. Wisconsin
Cost of hospital stay: $12,191
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,681
8. North Carolina
Cost of hospital stay: $11,579
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,597
9. South Carolina
Cost of hospital stay: $11,300
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,559
10. Louisiana
Cost of hospital stay: $11,156
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,539
11. Kentucky
Cost of hospital stay: $11,106
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,532
12. Tennessee
Cost of hospital stay: $11,030
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,521
13. Ohio
Cost of hospital stay: $14,229
Minimum wage: $10.01
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,421
14. Kansas
Cost of hospital stay: $10,215
Minimum Wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,409
15. Oklahoma
Cost of hospital stay: $9,941
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,371
16. Georgia
Cost of hospital stay: $9,662
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,333
17. North Dakota
Cost of hospital stay: $9,630
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,328
18. New Mexico
Cost of hospital stay: $15,719
Minimum wage: $12
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,310
19. Delaware
Cost of hospital stay: $14,774
Minimum wage: $11.75
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,257
20. Oregon
Cost of hospital stay: $17,375
Minimum wage: $14.20
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,224
21. California
Cost of hospital stay: $18,815
Minimum wage: $15.50
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,214
22. Maryland
Cost of hospital stay: $15,480
Minimum wage: $13.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,168
23. Iowa
Cost of hospital stay: $8,375
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,155
24. New York
Cost of hospital stay: $16,241
Minimum wage: $14.20
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,144
25. Alabama
Cost of hospital stay: $8,199
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,131
26. Hawaii
Cost of hospital stay: $13,563
Minimum wage: $12
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,130
27. Wyoming
Cost of hospital stay: $8,082
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,115
28 (tie). West Virginia
Cost of hospital stay: $9,689
Minimum wage: $8.75
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,107
28 (tie). Nebraska
Cost of hospital stay: $11,619
Minimum wage: $10.50
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,107
30. Washington
Cost of hospital stay: $17,127
Minimum wage: $15.74
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,088
31. Colorado
Cost of hospital stay: $14,729
Minimum wage: $13.65
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,079
32. Michigan
Cost of hospital stay: $10,742
Minimum wage: $10.10
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,064
33. District of Columbia
Cost of hospital stay: $17,883
Minimum wage: $17
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,052
34. Rhode Island
Cost of hospital stay: $13,545
Minimum wage: $13
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,042
35. Illinois
Cost of hospital stay: $13,487
Minimum wage: $13
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,037
36. Arizona
Cost of hospital stay: $14,103
Minimum wage: $13.85
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,018
37. Montana
Cost of hospital stay: $10,098
Minimum wage: $9.95
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,015
38. Massachusetts
Cost of hospital stay: $15,197
Minimum wage: $15
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,013
39. Vermont
Cost of hospital stay: $13,266
Minimum wage: $13.18
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,007
40. New Jersey
Cost of hospital stay: $14,207
Minimum wage: $14.13
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 1,005
41. Missouri
Cost of hospital stay: $11,912
Minimum wage: $12
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 993
42. Nevada
Cost of hospital stay: $11,138
Minimum wage: $11.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 990
43. Florida
Cost of hospital stay: $11,831
Minimum wage: $12
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 986
44. Connecticut
Cost of hospital stay: $14,567
Minimum wage: $15
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 971
45. Virginia
Cost of hospital stay: $11,331
Minimum wage: $12
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 944
46. Maine
Cost of hospital stay: $12,443
Minimum wage: $13.80
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 902
47. Arkansas
Cost of hospital stay: $9,410
Minimum wage: $11
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 855
48. Mississippi
Cost of hospital stay: $5,873
Minimum wage: $7.25
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 810
49. Minnesota
Cost of hospital stay: $11,525
Minimum wage: $15.19
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 759
50. Alaska
Cost of hospital stay: $8,213
Minimum wage: $10.85
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 757
51. South Dakota
Cost of hospital stay: $7,344
Minimum wage: $10.80
Hours of work needed to afford stay: 680