Best states for an attending physician

Q: What is the best state for attending physicians?

The best state to be an attending physician is North Dakota based on attending physician salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for attending physicians?

The highest paying state for attending physicians is Hawaii based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for attending physicians?

The worst state for attending physicians is District of Columbia, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for attending physicians? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for attending physician jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for attending physician jobs.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for attending physicians.If you are currently seeking employment as an attending physician, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for attending physicians in 2025

1. North Dakota
Total attending physician jobs: 105
Average annual salary: $183,568
Lowest 10 percent earn: $126,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $266,000
Location Quotient:
1.76
Attending physician jobs in North Dakota
2. Vermont
Total attending physician jobs: 75
Average annual salary: $186,227
Lowest 10 percent earn: $131,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $263,000
Location Quotient:
1.52
Attending physician jobs in Vermont
3. Wisconsin
Total attending physician jobs: 708
Average annual salary: $173,970
Lowest 10 percent earn: $117,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $257,000
Location Quotient:
1.99
Attending physician jobs in Wisconsin
4. Maine
Total attending physician jobs: 149
Average annual salary: $177,726
Lowest 10 percent earn: $124,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $254,000
Location Quotient:
1.75
Attending physician jobs in Maine
5. New Hampshire
Total attending physician jobs: 190
Average annual salary: $177,540
Lowest 10 percent earn: $123,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $255,000
Location Quotient:
1.69
Attending physician jobs in New Hampshire
6. Minnesota
Total attending physician jobs: 555
Average annual salary: $178,478
Lowest 10 percent earn: $121,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $262,000
Location Quotient:
1.3
Attending physician jobs in Minnesota
7. Florida
Total attending physician jobs: 941
Average annual salary: $181,110
Lowest 10 percent earn: $124,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $263,000
Location Quotient:
0.94
Attending physician jobs in Florida
8. West Virginia
Total attending physician jobs: 98
Average annual salary: $173,951
Lowest 10 percent earn: $117,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $256,000
Location Quotient:
1
Attending physician jobs in West Virginia
9. Oklahoma
Total attending physician jobs: 194
Average annual salary: $173,764
Lowest 10 percent earn: $117,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $257,000
Location Quotient:
0.98
Attending physician jobs in Oklahoma
10. Alabama
Total attending physician jobs: 212
Average annual salary: $177,676
Lowest 10 percent earn: $121,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $260,000
Location Quotient:
0.75
Attending physician jobs in Alabama

Attending physician jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an attending physician

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an attending physician

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	North Dakota	$183,568	$126,000	755,393	105
2	Vermont	$186,227	$131,000	623,657	75
3	Wisconsin	$173,970	$117,000	5,795,483	708
4	Maine	$177,726	$124,000	1,335,907	149
5	New Hampshire	$177,540	$123,000	1,342,795	190
6	Minnesota	$178,478	$121,000	5,576,606	555
7	Florida	$181,110	$124,000	20,984,400	941
8	West Virginia	$173,951	$117,000	1,815,857	98
9	Oklahoma	$173,764	$117,000	3,930,864	194
10	Alabama	$177,676	$121,000	4,874,747	212
11	Ohio	$178,798	$122,000	11,658,609	381
12	New Jersey	$190,049	$134,000	9,005,644	476
13	Pennsylvania	$172,165	$117,000	12,805,537	1,043
14	Texas	$175,655	$119,000	28,304,596	1,095
15	Montana	$171,866	$114,000	1,050,493	124
16	Illinois	$176,768	$119,000	12,802,023	731
17	New Mexico	$170,296	$114,000	2,088,070	256
18	North Carolina	$171,866	$115,000	10,273,419	628
19	Indiana	$170,128	$113,000	6,666,818	494
20	Iowa	$171,102	$114,000	3,145,711	198
21	Kentucky	$170,154	$113,000	4,454,189	218
22	Arkansas	$171,982	$115,000	3,004,279	83
23	Missouri	$172,675	$115,000	6,113,532	294
24	New York	$173,193	$118,000	19,849,399	1,274
25	Washington	$171,958	$115,000	7,405,743	492
26	Idaho	$172,947	$115,000	1,716,943	68
27	South Dakota	$164,712	$108,000	869,666	167
28	Mississippi	$171,409	$115,000	2,984,100	88
29	Alaska	$168,004	$109,000	739,795	89
30	Louisiana	$169,803	$114,000	4,684,333	217
31	Maryland	$172,000	$116,000	6,052,177	464
32	Tennessee	$167,973	$111,000	6,715,984	286
33	Arizona	$166,972	$111,000	7,016,270	561
34	Virginia	$171,026	$115,000	8,470,020	489
35	Michigan	$165,725	$110,000	9,962,311	488
36	South Carolina	$166,140	$110,000	5,024,369	350
37	Connecticut	$168,158	$114,000	3,588,184	288
38	Kansas	$166,899	$110,000	2,913,123	129
39	Nevada	$161,648	$106,000	2,998,039	201
40	California	$169,320	$113,000	39,536,653	1,572
41	Delaware	$169,133	$114,000	961,939	42
42	Nebraska	$165,278	$108,000	1,920,076	101
43	Georgia	$165,480	$109,000	10,429,379	590
44	Rhode Island	$166,296	$112,000	1,059,639	57
45	Hawaii	$142,417	$87,000	1,427,538	111
46	Oregon	$165,073	$108,000	4,142,776	0
47	Massachusetts	$155,949	$104,000	6,859,819	532
48	Wyoming	$145,433	$91,000	579,315	31
49	Utah	$148,620	$94,000	3,101,833	110
50	Colorado	$147,853	$93,000	5,607,154	266
51	District of Columbia	$160,392	$106,000	693,972	42

Highest paying states for attending physicians

Rank	State	Avg. Attending Physician Salary
1	North Dakota	$183,568
2	Vermont	$186,227
3	Wisconsin	$173,970
4	Maine	$177,726
5	New Hampshire	$177,540
6	Minnesota	$178,478
7	Florida	$181,110
8	West Virginia	$173,951
9	Oklahoma	$173,764
10	Alabama	$177,676
11	Ohio	$178,798
12	New Jersey	$190,049
13	Pennsylvania	$172,165
14	Texas	$175,655
15	Montana	$171,866
16	Illinois	$176,768
17	New Mexico	$170,296
18	North Carolina	$171,866
19	Indiana	$170,128
20	Iowa	$171,102
21	Kentucky	$170,154
22	Arkansas	$171,982
23	Missouri	$172,675
24	New York	$173,193
25	Washington	$171,958
26	Idaho	$172,947
27	South Dakota	$164,712
28	Mississippi	$171,409
29	Alaska	$168,004
30	Louisiana	$169,803
31	Maryland	$172,000
32	Tennessee	$167,973
33	Arizona	$166,972
34	Virginia	$171,026
35	Michigan	$165,725
36	South Carolina	$166,140
37	Connecticut	$168,158
38	Kansas	$166,899
39	Nevada	$161,648
40	California	$169,320
41	Delaware	$169,133
42	Nebraska	$165,278
43	Georgia	$165,480
44	Rhode Island	$166,296
45	Hawaii	$142,417
46	Oregon	$165,073
47	Massachusetts	$155,949
48	Wyoming	$145,433
49	Utah	$148,620
50	Colorado	$147,853
51	District of Columbia	$160,392

Attending physician best states FAQs

What is the best state for attending physicians?

What is the highest paying state for attending physicians?

What is the worst state for attending physicians?

Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.

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Best states for Attending Physicians

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total attending physician jobs:	105
Average annual salary:	$183,568
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$126,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$266,000
Location Quotient:	1.76

Best states for an attending physician

10 best states for attending physicians in 2025

1. North Dakota

2. Vermont

3. Wisconsin

4. Maine

5. New Hampshire

6. Minnesota

7. Florida

8. West Virginia

9. Oklahoma

10. Alabama