South Dakota Makes List of Best States for Doctors

I've spent a lot of time around doctors lately. That tends to happen when you break your arm in three places. But I am truly grateful for the quality of doctors we have here in South Dakota. But how are things job-wise for doctors in our state?

If you believe the number-crunching folks at Wallet Hub, doctors in South Dakota are doing pretty well.

In order to identify the states with the best situations for doctors, they looked at all 50 states and the District of Columbia and compared them in two basic categories: A) Opportunity and Competition and B) Medical Environment.

Within those categories, they made comparisons in many different areas. They considered the average annual wage for physicians (adjusted for the cost of living), average starting salaries, hospitals per capita, competition, quality of hospital systems, annual malpractice liability insurance rates, and lots more.

South Dakota came in 3rd best state for doctors for a number of reasons, not the least of which was having one of the highest starting salaries in the country at $5,330 per month.

South Dakota physicians also pay less for malpractice insurance premiums than people in most other states. Our state also ranks well in the number of physician assistants per 1,000 residents and has around 8.5 hospitals for every 100,000 residents, which is one of the highest numbers in the country.

We're so lucky we have a large number of high-quality physicians in South Dakota and apparently they are here because it's a good place to work.

The Top 5 States for Doctors Are:

1. Montana
2. Indiana
3. South Dakota
4. Iowa
5. Utah

To see the complete study, check out Wallet Hub.