By Staff

If you’re a physician in South Dakota or Nebraska, your job satisfaction is likely significantly higher than it would be if you resided in Rhode Island or New Jersey, according to a personal finance website, which recently released its 2018 list of the best and worst states for doctors.

After examining average salary, projected competition, price of malpractice insurance and other metrics in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., each state was ranked for physician-friendliness based on these factors.

Physician wages, adjusted for cost of living, are highest in Mississippi and South Dakota and lowest in Hawaii and Washington, D.C. Another key finding: Malpractice insurance is priciest in New York and Illinois and most affordable in Nebraska and South Dakota.

With the exception of Idaho, Great Plains and Midwestern states filled out WalletHub’s top 10 list, while its bottom 10 included several coastal states with heavily populated urban areas and a high cost of living.

Here are the top 10 best states for doctors in 2018:

1. South Dakota

2. Nebraska

3. Idaho

4. Iowa

5. Minnesota

6. Wisconsin

7. Kansas

8. Montana

9. North Dakota

10. Wyoming

Here are the 10 worst states for doctors in 2018:

42. Illinois

43. California

44. Maryland

45. Oregon

46. Massachusetts

47. Washington, D.C.

48. Hawaii

49. New York

50. Rhode Island

51. New Jersey