Physicians are heading for the South and West, and they’re doing it for lifestyle, not money, according to a Sept. 4 blog post from Marit Health.
The analysis, based on job search behavior from 18,000 clinicians on the platform, found that 67% of physician job searches target a role in another state, more than double the mobility of any other clinician type it tracked (50% for nurse practitioners, 48% for CRNAs and anesthesiology assistants, 43% for physician assistants).
California, Florida, Colorado, Georgia and North Carolina are drawing the most physician interest, while New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Indiana and Louisiana are losing the most, according to the blog post.
New York’s outflow is tied largely to its residency training volume. The state offered 5,098 residency positions in the 2025 Match, nearly 12% of the national total, and it anchors three of the five busiest long-distance search corridors — New York to Florida, New York to California and New York to Texas.
Among those searching out of state, 55% are looking at states with a higher cost of living than their own, per the blog post, and pay doesn’t track with that move. Early-career physicians who search in higher-paying states see only a modest bump, while physicians with 20 or more years of experience typically move toward lower-paying states:
- Less than 3 years experience: +$1,644 median pay difference
- 3 to 5 years: +$1,001
- 6 to 10 years: +$7,826
- 11 to 19 years: +$4,057
- 20 or more years: -$9,145
The mismatch extends to where physicians are needed most. States with the greatest number of open positions per resident, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Maine, Montana and New Mexico, all rank low on physician interest, the blog post found. Montana, Wyoming and Alaska combined offered just 73 residency positions in the 2025 Match, compared with New York’s 5,098, leaving those states to recruit nearly their entire physician workforce from elsewhere.
The findings are based on 369,900 job search actions, applications, saves and views, recorded between August 2025 and July 2026, and reflect stated search interest rather than completed moves, according to the blog post.
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.
