The worst states for physicians in the last 5 years 

New York and New Jersey have ranked among the worst states for physicians every year since 2022, and in 2026 New York was last on WalletHub’s annual ranking. 

The Northeast and mid-Atlantic dominate the bottom of the list year after year, with Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. appearing in every single bottom-ten ranking since 2022.

In 2026, Wallethub based the list on 19 metrics, including physicians’ average annual wage, hospitals per capita and physician burnout. There were two main categories for the metrics: Opportunity and competition, and medical environment. The opportunity and competition category was worth up to 70 points, with the medical environment category worth up to 30 points. 

2026:

1. New York
2. New Jersey
3. Rhode Island
4. Hawaii
5. Washington, D.C.
6. Illinois
7. New Mexico
8. Oregon
9. Maryland
10. Vermont

2025:

1. Hawaii
2. Rhode Island 
3. Washington, D.C. 
4. New Jersey 
5. Oregon 
6. Illinois 
7. New Mexico 
8. Maryland 
9. New York 
10. Alaska

2024:

1. Hawaii
2. Rhode Island
3. New Jersey
4. Massachusetts
5. New York
6. New Mexico
7. District of Columbia
8. Oregon
9. Illinois
10. Alaska

2023:

1. Hawaii
2. Rhode Island
3. Alaska
4. New Jersey
5. District of Columbia
6. New Mexico
7. Massachusetts
8. New York
9. Pennsylvania
10. Oregon

2022:

1. Rhode Island
2. New York
3. District of Columbia
4. Delaware
5. New Jersey
6. Alaska
7. Hawaii
8. Vermont
9. Massachusetts
10. Oregon

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