For a state its size, South Dakota has a well-above-average number of jobs in the health care field. According to the national numbers, the state has the fourth most health care facilities per capita, which translates to the fifth most nurses per capita, and a highly competitive job market.

So does that mean the Mount Rushmore State ranks among the best state in the country to pursue a nursing career?

Not necessarily.

WalletHub weighed14 different factors in two categories - 'Opportunity & Competition' and 'Work Environment':

  • Monthly Median Starting Salary for Nurses
  • Average Annual Salary for Nurses
  • Number of Health-Care Facilities per 100.000 Residents
  • Medically Underserved Areas
  • Projected Elderly Population
  • Educational Opportunities Based on Quality of Nursing Schools
  • Nursing-Job Openings per 100,000 Residents
  • Number of Nurses per 1,000 Residents
  • Projected Competition
  • Mandatory Overtime Restrictions
  • Share of Best Nursing Homes
  • WalletHub’s “Best & Worst States for Working Moms” Rank
  • Average Number of Work Hour
  • Average Commute Time

After the numbers were crunched, South Dakota actually ranked in the bottom third (#39 overall) on the list of the 'Best & Worst States For Nurses'.

The bright spot? South Dakota jumped a full ten spots (#29) in overall work environment.

Click on a state below to see where it ranks:

Source: WalletHub

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