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Best states for a Physician

Quoted Expert
Julie Aultman Ph.D.
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Do you want to become a physician at Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for physicians that you can check out, before you begin your journey. In fact, our research shows that Wisconsin is the best state for physicians in America. The best city in America for physicians with the highest pay is Cleveland, TN.
The median salary for physicians in Wisconsin is $204,720. Compare that to the median salary in District of Columbia of $175,878, which ranked worst for physicians, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that the West is best for physicians, and the Midwest is the worst. Cleveland, TN is the best city in the country for physician jobs, where as Wisconsin is the best state in the country.

10 best states for physicians in 2025

  1. Wisconsin #1 best state for physicians

    1. Wisconsin

    Total Physician Jobs:809
    Average Annual Salary:$204,720
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$147,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$284,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.78
  2. North Dakota #2 best state for physicians

    2. North Dakota

    Total Physician Jobs:126
    Average Annual Salary:$204,657
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$147,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$283,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.64
  3. Tennessee #3 best state for physicians

    3. Tennessee

    Total Physician Jobs:479
    Average Annual Salary:$200,596
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$142,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$283,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.99
  4. West Virginia #4 best state for physicians

    4. West Virginia

    Total Physician Jobs:109
    Average Annual Salary:$202,327
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$144,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$283,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.87
  5. Minnesota #5 best state for physicians

    5. Minnesota

    Total Physician Jobs:663
    Average Annual Salary:$204,565
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$147,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$284,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.21
  6. Indiana #6 best state for physicians

    6. Indiana

    Total Physician Jobs:600
    Average Annual Salary:$200,451
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$142,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$282,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.11
  7. Maine #7 best state for physicians

    7. Maine

    Total Physician Jobs:262
    Average Annual Salary:$199,087
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$142,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$279,000
    Location Quotient:
    2.4
  8. Kentucky #8 best state for physicians

    8. Kentucky

    Total Physician Jobs:271
    Average Annual Salary:$200,987
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$142,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$283,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.89
  9. South Carolina #9 best state for physicians

    9. South Carolina

    Total Physician Jobs:486
    Average Annual Salary:$200,347
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$141,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$283,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.32
  10. Iowa #10 best state for physicians

    10. Iowa

    Total Physician Jobs:255
    Average Annual Salary:$202,012
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$143,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$283,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.85

Physician JobsNear Ashburn, VA

How Zippia determines the best states to be a physician

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

Detailed list of the best states for a physician

RankStateAverage SalaryLowest 10% EarnPopulationJob Count
1Wisconsin$204,720$147,0005,795,483809
2North Dakota$204,657$147,000755,393126
3Tennessee$200,596$142,0006,715,984479
4West Virginia$202,327$144,0001,815,857109
5Minnesota$204,565$147,0005,576,606663
6Indiana$200,451$142,0006,666,818600
7Maine$199,087$142,0001,335,907262
8Kentucky$200,987$142,0004,454,189271
9South Carolina$200,347$141,0005,024,369486
10Iowa$202,012$143,0003,145,711255
11Oklahoma$197,369$138,0003,930,864271
12North Carolina$196,913$138,00010,273,419834
13Arkansas$199,944$141,0003,004,279116
14Alaska$196,522$138,000739,795117
15Wyoming$198,175$140,000579,31544
16Mississippi$199,859$141,0002,984,100113
17South Dakota$192,397$133,000869,666176
18New Mexico$195,007$136,0002,088,070308
19Alabama$196,757$137,0004,874,747274
20New Hampshire$194,490$137,0001,342,795239
21Pennsylvania$192,043$134,00012,805,5371,490
22Michigan$194,866$136,0009,962,311584
23Washington$197,702$139,0007,405,743614
24Nebraska$196,093$137,0001,920,076134
25Louisiana$193,837$134,0004,684,333264
26Delaware$199,364$141,000961,93964
27Florida$193,805$134,00020,984,4001,185
28Oregon$195,049$137,0004,142,776400
29Vermont$190,713$133,000623,657102
30Ohio$192,629$133,00011,658,609555
31Virginia$196,561$138,0008,470,020582
32Georgia$193,859$134,00010,429,379669
33Texas$191,138$132,00028,304,5961,436
34Kansas$191,484$132,0002,913,123171
35Nevada$184,846$126,0002,998,039256
36Connecticut$189,182$131,0003,588,184370
37Arizona$183,822$125,0007,016,270656
38Idaho$191,310$133,0001,716,94389
39Hawaii$181,503$121,0001,427,538136
40Maryland$191,223$132,0006,052,177456
41Missouri$188,352$129,0006,113,532352
42Illinois$185,097$125,00012,802,023887
43Montana$176,600$118,0001,050,493142
44Massachusetts$187,249$129,0006,859,819634
45New Jersey$182,340$124,0009,005,644659
46New York$170,421$113,00019,849,3991,696
47California$185,206$127,00039,536,6531,832
48Rhode Island$180,231$122,0001,059,63978
49Colorado$186,461$127,0005,607,154312
50Utah$178,931$120,0003,101,833123
51District of Columbia$175,878$117,000693,97256

Highest paying states for physicians

RankStateAvg. Physician Salary
1Wisconsin$204,720
2North Dakota$204,657
3Tennessee$200,596
4West Virginia$202,327
5Minnesota$204,565
6Indiana$200,451
7Maine$199,087
8Kentucky$200,987
9South Carolina$200,347
10Iowa$202,012
11Oklahoma$197,369
12North Carolina$196,913
13Arkansas$199,944
14Alaska$196,522
15Wyoming$198,175
16Mississippi$199,859
17South Dakota$192,397
18New Mexico$195,007
19Alabama$196,757
20New Hampshire$194,490
21Pennsylvania$192,043
22Michigan$194,866
23Washington$197,702
24Nebraska$196,093
25Louisiana$193,837
26Delaware$199,364
27Florida$193,805
28Oregon$195,049
29Vermont$190,713
30Ohio$192,629
31Virginia$196,561
32Georgia$193,859
33Texas$191,138
34Kansas$191,484
35Nevada$184,846
36Connecticut$189,182
37Arizona$183,822
38Idaho$191,310
39Hawaii$181,503
40Maryland$191,223
41Missouri$188,352
42Illinois$185,097
43Montana$176,600
44Massachusetts$187,249
45New Jersey$182,340
46New York$170,421
47California$185,206
48Rhode Island$180,231
49Colorado$186,461
50Utah$178,931
51District of Columbia$175,878

Expert opinions on the best states for physicians

  • Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Physicians to find work opportunities?

    Julie Aultman Ph.D.Julie Aultman Ph.D. LinkedIn Profile

    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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