What state in America has the best doctors?
Montana is widely ranked as the best state for doctors in the U.S., driven by high job opportunity scores, favorable work environments, and low professional competition.
Top States for Physicians
According to recent annual analyses by WalletHub and health industry reviews, the top-performing states combine strong cost-of-living-adjusted wages, supportive medical boards, and low malpractice risk:
- Montana: Ranks #1 overall due to a balanced medical environment and strong practice conditions.
- Indiana: Ranks near the top, scoring exceptionally well for having a less-punitive state medical board and high adjusted wages.
- Louisiana: Offers strong opportunity metrics and low projected job competition.
- South Dakota & Minnesota: Consistently place in the top tier thanks to robust healthcare infrastructure and high compensation relative to local living costs.
- Wisconsin & Missouri: Lead the nation specifically in average annual wages adjusted for the cost of living.
Key Factors That Make a State "Doctor-Friendly"
When evaluating where to practice, studies weigh two primary categories:
- Opportunity and Competition: Average earnings (adjusted for cost of living), annual wage growth, and the projected shortage or saturation of physicians.
- Medical Environment: Malpractice insurance costs, malpractice payout rates per capita, disciplinary strictness of state medical boards, and general hospital quality.
Additionally, a consensus among online medical communities on platforms like Reddit highlights that states with no state income tax—such as Texas, Tennessee, and Florida—are frequently favored by attending physicians for overall wealth accumulation, despite localized saturation or malpractice environment trade-offs.
What state is ranked #1 in healthcare?
Hawaii ranks #1 overall for healthcare in the U.S. News & World Report Best States Rankings.
Different organizations use different measures, which change the top-ranked state:
- U.S. News & World Report: Hawaii ranks #1 overall, performing strongly in healthcare quality and public health.
- WalletHub: New Hampshire ranks #1 for healthcare, focusing on low costs and health outcomes.
- The Commonwealth Fund: Massachusetts ranks #1 for health system performance, access, and affordability.
What state is best for surgery?
Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Minnesota rank among the best states for overall healthcare quality and surgical outcomes.
Top States for Healthcare Quality
- Hawaii: Ranks first in the nation for overall healthcare, preventive care access, and public health metrics.
- Massachusetts: Serves as a major national medical hub, anchored by world-class academic hospital systems in Boston.
- Minnesota: Home to top-tier institutions like the Mayo Clinic, offering exceptional health outcomes and advanced surgical innovation.
Specialty-Specific Leaders
- Orthopedic and Spine Surgery: Florida features a high concentration of top-ranked programs for spine and orthopedic procedures.
- Outpatient Joint Replacements: California leads the nation in top-tier outpatient joint and knee replacement centers.
- Gender-Affirming Surgery: According to community consensus on platforms like Reddit, New York and California offer some of the most reliable insurance coverage and access.
What state has the least sick people?
Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Utah consistently rank as the states with the healthiest populations and the lowest overall disease risk factors in the United States.
Top Healthiest States
- Hawaii: Frequently takes the top spot for overall health, boasting the highest life expectancy in the nation (over 80 years), the fewest physically or mentally unwell days reported by residents, and very low rates of chronic disease.
- Massachusetts: Ranks near the very top in public health outcomes, high vaccination coverage, strong healthcare access, and low rates of residents getting severely ill.
- Utah: Stands out for having some of the lowest adult smoking rates in the country, high levels of physical activity, and low cancer mortality rates.
- New Hampshire: Scores high in overall health system performance and low economic hardship, which correlates with better health outcomes.
What city in America has the best doctors?
Boston, Massachusetts, and Cleveland, Ohio, are widely considered to have the best doctors in America due to their concentration of elite, world-renowned research hospitals.
Top Cities for Medical Excellence
- Boston, Massachusetts: Features top-tier teaching hospitals like Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
- Cleveland, Ohio: Anchored by the global leader Cleveland Clinic, which is famous for exceptional heart care and advanced surgeries.
- Rochester, Minnesota: Home to the original campus of the world-famous Mayo Clinic, which consistently ranks at the top for complex patient care.
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Known for cutting-edge medical research and the extensive network of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
Cities with Highest Patient Satisfaction
If you judge "best" by how happy patients are with wait times and doctor communication, patient reviews analyzed by Business Insider highlight a different set of top cities:
- Portland, Oregon
- Austin, Texas
- Seattle, Washington
Best & Worst States for Doctors📍 (Where YOU Should Practice)
Which state is ranked lowest in healthcare?
Alaska and Mississippi are most frequently ranked as the lowest overall states for healthcare in recent major analyses.
Lowest-Ranked States
Recent reports from national health organizations place several states at the very bottom based on cost, access, and health outcomes:
- Alaska: Ranked as the overall worst state (#51 including D.C.) by WalletHub's Healthcare Analysis, primarily driven by some of the highest monthly insurance premiums in the country.
- Mississippi: Frequently placed at or near the bottom (50th among states) due to the nation's highest infant mortality rate, low physician-per-capita counts, and poor overall health outcomes.
- Georgia, Texas, and West Virginia: Consistently round out the bottom five in multiple studies due to high uninsured rates (particularly in Texas), care avoidance over costs, and limited rural healthcare access.
Key Factors in Low-Ranked States
- Healthcare Access: Shortages of primary care physicians, dentists, and hospital beds per capita.
- Cost and Coverage: High insurance premiums or large populations avoiding medical visits due to high deductibles and uninsured rates.
- Health Outcomes: Higher rates of chronic conditions like heart disease, stroke, and high infant mortality.
What state is #1 in quality of life?
The state ranked #1 for quality of life depends on the specific study or publication, with Vermont and Minnesota frequently taking the top spot in recent reports.
Top Rankings by Organization
- CNBC: Ranked Vermont #1 for quality of life, scoring high on low crime rates, air quality, healthcare, and reproductive rights.
- State of the Nation Project: Named Minnesota #1 for overall quality of life based on metrics including life satisfaction, social capital, education, and community engagement.
- WalletHub: Ranked Idaho #1 overall as the best state to live in, weighing metrics across affordability, safety, and quality of life.
- U.S. News & World Report: Frequently places states like Utah near the top for overall living conditions, healthcare, and environment.
What are the top 3 riskiest surgeries?
While medical advancements have made surgical procedures safer than ever, certain operations carry higher inherent stakes due to their complexity, the critical organs involved, and the potential for severe blood loss.
Based on medical data and surgical complication rates, the top 3 riskiest surgeries frequently identified by experts include:
1. Thoracic Aortic Dissection Repair
This is an open surgery performed to fix a tear in the aorta, the body’s main artery that carries blood away from the heart.
- Why it's high-risk: Because it is often performed as an emergency, surgeons must race against time to prevent the artery from rupturing completely. It carries a high risk of catastrophic bleeding, organ failure, or stroke. Estimated mortality rates for this emergency procedure can range from 20% to 30%.
2. Pancreaticoduodenectomy (The Whipple Procedure)
Commonly used to treat pancreatic cancer, this highly complex abdominal surgery involves removing the head of the pancreas, a portion of the small intestine, the gallbladder, and part of the bile duct.
- Why it's high-risk: The surgeon must carefully reconnect the remaining digestive organs so they can function properly. The procedure is exceptionally delicate, and complications like severe digestive fluid leaks, internal bleeding, and post-operative infections occur in a significant percentage of patients.
3. Craniectomy
Unlike a craniotomy (where the skull is opened and immediately closed), a craniectomy involves removing a portion of the skull and leaving it off temporarily to allow a swelling brain room to expand.
- Why it's high-risk: It is typically performed under dire circumstances, such as traumatic brain injuries, major strokes, or severe hemorrhages. Leaving the brain without the protection of the skull exposes it to a high risk of further brain damage, severe infection, and long-term neurological complications.
Key Factors That Drive Surgical Risk
Medical professionals typically categorize a surgery as "high risk" if the statistical chance of major complications or mortality exceeds 1%. A procedure's overall danger level is rarely determined by the surgery alone, but rather a combination of:
- Urgency: Emergency surgeries carry significantly higher mortality rates than elective, planned procedures.
- Patient Health: Underlying chronic illnesses, advanced age, and frail cardiovascular systems drastically increase overall risk.
- Vital Organ Involvement: Any surgery interacting directly with the brain, heart, or central nervous system carries a baseline elevation in risk due to the potential for permanent nerve damage or loss of oxygen.
Which states have the best hospitals?
States with the highest-ranked overall healthcare and hospital quality include Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, according to data from U.S. News & World Report.
Top States for Hospital and Healthcare Quality
- Hawaii: Ranked #1 overall for healthcare, combining top healthcare quality and public health metrics.
- Massachusetts: Ranked #2 overall for healthcare and #1 specifically for hospital quality, anchored by world-class institutions like Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
- Connecticut: Ranked #3 in overall healthcare and #4 in hospital quality, with high marks for safety grades from The Leapfrog Group.
- Maryland & Rhode Island: Both consistently place in the top five for overall healthcare and hospital performance metrics.
States with the Highest Concentration of Elite National Hospitals
If you measure "best hospitals" by the presence of elite institutions on the U.S. News Honor Roll or Statista's Best-in-State rankings, major metropolitan hubs in these states stand out:
- California: Home to elite centers like Stanford Health Care, UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, and Cedars-Sinai.
- Minnesota: Home to the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
- New York: Features heavy hitters like Mount Sinai, NYU Langone, and NewYork-Presbyterian.
- Ohio: Anchored by the Cleveland Clinic.
What is the #1 hospital in the world?
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is ranked as the #1 hospital in the world by Newsweek.
Overview of the Ranking
- Name: Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota, United States)
- Publisher: Newsweek ("World's Best Hospitals" list)
- Streak: Ranked #1 for eight consecutive years
How Rankings Are Decided
- Patient Surveys: Feedback and satisfaction scores from patients.
- Medical Expert Input: Surveys completed by over 85,000 doctors, health leaders, and professionals globally.
- Quality Metrics: Data on patient safety, hygiene measures, and treatment quality.
- Patient Outcomes: Implementation and success of patient-reported outcome measures.