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Best states for a medical doctor
Quoted expert
Julie Aultman Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
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Medical doctor opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for medical doctors, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for medical doctors.We wanted to look at the best states for medical doctors -- where there are plenty of medical doctor jobs to go around and medical doctors get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
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 medical doctors.We found that the West is best for medical doctors, and the South is the worst. Brownsville, TX is the best city in the country for medical doctor jobs, where as West Virginia is the best state in the country.
10 best states for medical doctors in 2025
1. West Virginia
Total medical doctor jobs: 258 Average annual salary: $149,070 Lowest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $245,000 Location Quotient: 2.02
2. Alabama
Total medical doctor jobs: 584 Average annual salary: $151,071 Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $247,000 Location Quotient: 1.58
3. North Dakota
Total medical doctor jobs: 66 Average annual salary: $148,086 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $245,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
4. Mississippi
Total medical doctor jobs: 282 Average annual salary: $146,456 Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $242,000 Location Quotient: 1.59
5. Texas
Total medical doctor jobs: 775 Average annual salary: $156,280 Lowest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $250,000 Location Quotient: 0.46
6. New Mexico
Total medical doctor jobs: 459 Average annual salary: $145,030 Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $239,000 Location Quotient: 2.8
7. Florida
Total medical doctor jobs: 801 Average annual salary: $153,033 Lowest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $249,000 Location Quotient: 0.61
8. Arkansas
Total medical doctor jobs: 360 Average annual salary: $142,868 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $240,000 Location Quotient: 1.65
9. Oklahoma
Total medical doctor jobs: 174 Average annual salary: $147,368 Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $244,000 Location Quotient: 0.68
10. California
Total medical doctor jobs: 4,117 Average annual salary: $155,309 Lowest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $247,000 Location Quotient: 1.68
Medical doctor jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a medical doctor
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a medical doctor
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | $149,070 | $90,000 | 1,815,857 | 258 |
| 2 | Alabama | $151,071 | $92,000 | 4,874,747 | 584 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $148,086 | $89,000 | 755,393 | 66 |
| 4 | Mississippi | $146,456 | $88,000 | 2,984,100 | 282 |
| 5 | Texas | $156,280 | $97,000 | 28,304,596 | 775 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $145,030 | $87,000 | 2,088,070 | 459 |
| 7 | Florida | $153,033 | $93,000 | 20,984,400 | 801 |
| 8 | Arkansas | $142,868 | $85,000 | 3,004,279 | 360 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | $147,368 | $88,000 | 3,930,864 | 174 |
| 10 | California | $155,309 | $97,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,117 |
| 11 | Louisiana | $147,164 | $89,000 | 4,684,333 | 155 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $143,580 | $85,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,299 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $145,787 | $87,000 | 6,715,984 | 239 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $146,713 | $88,000 | 10,273,419 | 416 |
| 15 | Vermont | $149,443 | $91,000 | 623,657 | 35 |
| 16 | Kansas | $147,392 | $88,000 | 2,913,123 | 108 |
| 17 | Arizona | $144,879 | $88,000 | 7,016,270 | 455 |
| 18 | Kentucky | $138,457 | $81,000 | 4,454,189 | 660 |
| 19 | Illinois | $142,225 | $84,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,145 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $144,595 | $87,000 | 1,342,795 | 117 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $156,737 | $98,000 | 9,005,644 | 252 |
| 22 | Georgia | $141,115 | $83,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,741 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $141,984 | $85,000 | 12,805,537 | 665 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $141,526 | $84,000 | 5,024,369 | 287 |
| 25 | Maine | $142,034 | $84,000 | 1,335,907 | 111 |
| 26 | Nevada | $138,641 | $83,000 | 2,998,039 | 463 |
| 27 | Idaho | $139,463 | $82,000 | 1,716,943 | 295 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $139,789 | $82,000 | 5,795,483 | 499 |
| 29 | Missouri | $138,770 | $81,000 | 6,113,532 | 994 |
| 30 | Delaware | $140,048 | $83,000 | 961,939 | 168 |
| 31 | Virginia | $139,016 | $82,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,104 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $130,696 | $74,000 | 869,666 | 100 |
| 33 | Montana | $136,983 | $80,000 | 1,050,493 | 69 |
| 34 | Maryland | $142,326 | $85,000 | 6,052,177 | 248 |
| 35 | Iowa | $136,285 | $79,000 | 3,145,711 | 133 |
| 36 | Washington | $139,491 | $82,000 | 7,405,743 | 329 |
| 37 | Ohio | $135,853 | $79,000 | 11,658,609 | 340 |
| 38 | Oregon | $137,420 | $81,000 | 4,142,776 | 190 |
| 39 | Connecticut | $138,821 | $83,000 | 3,588,184 | 134 |
| 40 | Michigan | $131,540 | $76,000 | 9,962,311 | 316 |
| 41 | Rhode Island | $137,453 | $81,000 | 1,059,639 | 35 |
| 42 | Alaska | $129,046 | $72,000 | 739,795 | 58 |
| 43 | District of Columbia | $128,362 | $74,000 | 693,972 | 154 |
| 44 | Indiana | $123,626 | $69,000 | 6,666,818 | 328 |
| 45 | New York | $130,040 | $76,000 | 19,849,399 | 633 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $117,295 | $66,000 | 1,427,538 | 81 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $130,833 | $74,000 | 1,920,076 | 54 |
| 48 | Massachusetts | $129,016 | $75,000 | 6,859,819 | 296 |
| 49 | Colorado | $118,755 | $66,000 | 5,607,154 | 237 |
| 50 | Utah | $120,932 | $68,000 | 3,101,833 | 39 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $114,643 | $63,000 | 579,315 | 14 |
Highest paying states for medical doctors
| Rank | State | Avg. Medical Doctor Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | $149,070 |
| 2 | Alabama | $151,071 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $148,086 |
| 4 | Mississippi | $146,456 |
| 5 | Texas | $156,280 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $145,030 |
| 7 | Florida | $153,033 |
| 8 | Arkansas | $142,868 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | $147,368 |
| 10 | California | $155,309 |
| 11 | Louisiana | $147,164 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $143,580 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $145,787 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $146,713 |
| 15 | Vermont | $149,443 |
| 16 | Kansas | $147,392 |
| 17 | Arizona | $144,879 |
| 18 | Kentucky | $138,457 |
| 19 | Illinois | $142,225 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $144,595 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $156,737 |
| 22 | Georgia | $141,115 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $141,984 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $141,526 |
| 25 | Maine | $142,034 |
| 26 | Nevada | $138,641 |
| 27 | Idaho | $139,463 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $139,789 |
| 29 | Missouri | $138,770 |
| 30 | Delaware | $140,048 |
| 31 | Virginia | $139,016 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $130,696 |
| 33 | Montana | $136,983 |
| 34 | Maryland | $142,326 |
| 35 | Iowa | $136,285 |
| 36 | Washington | $139,491 |
| 37 | Ohio | $135,853 |
| 38 | Oregon | $137,420 |
| 39 | Connecticut | $138,821 |
| 40 | Michigan | $131,540 |
| 41 | Rhode Island | $137,453 |
| 42 | Alaska | $129,046 |
| 43 | District of Columbia | $128,362 |
| 44 | Indiana | $123,626 |
| 45 | New York | $130,040 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $117,295 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $130,833 |
| 48 | Massachusetts | $129,016 |
| 49 | Colorado | $118,755 |
| 50 | Utah | $120,932 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $114,643 |
Expert opinions on the best states for medical doctors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for medical doctors to find work opportunities?
Julie Aultman Ph.D.
Professor of Family and Community Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University
We need this future workforce to be innovative, to make important changes - from environmental and global warming initiatives (bioethicists who have a passion for environmental ethics) to being researchers and advocates for patients and others who might fall victim to the negative impact of the pandemic (clinical ethics, health humanities scholars). The transition to work will be slow, as the revitalization of our national economy, but there will be work.
We need these future minds more than anything right now. But again, mentors are going to be essential for helping these graduates get to that next phase in their lives. I am fully confident my dual-enrolled students (medical or pharmacy students who are also taking the Masters program in Medical Ethics and Humanities) will find work opportunities. For my traditional graduate students who are not in the health professions, there will be roles for these students in medicine and science (e.g., regulatory compliance).
However, I do encourage them to work toward a doctoral program as the MA degree is a non-terminal degree. I have had students receive work prior to the pandemic, and I would suspect similar opportunities post-pandemic, particularly in the sciences where ethics and compliance are so essential.
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Updated January 8, 2025