State rankings

Nurse-Patient Ratios by State

District of Columbia has the highest Nurses per 1k Population in 2022 (17.59), followed by South Dakota (15.78) and North Dakota (14.5). Utah has the lowest (6.75).

HealthLaw51 states · 2 metricsUpdated Jun 21, 2025Original page
2 sources
51 of 51 states
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Nurses per 1k Population, 2022

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
9.68
Middle half 8.34 – 10.47
Average
9.77
51 states
Highest
17.59
District of Columbia
Lowest
6.75
Utah

Biggest changes · 2018 → 2022

51 states have a value in both years.

Largest increases

Largest decreases

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

51 states · # = rank by Nurses per 1k Population
#
1District of Columbia17.5911,820
2South Dakota15.7814,360
3North Dakota14.511,300
4Massachusetts13.4894,100
5West Virginia11.8921,110
6Missouri11.470,440
7Delaware11.2811,490
8Minnesota11.1663,800
9Ohio11.09130,370
10Vermont10.716,930
11Pennsylvania10.64137,970
11Iowa10.6434,050
13Maine10.5514,610
14Kansas10.3930,520
15Wisconsin10.3761,100
16Illinois10.28129,390
17Rhode Island10.2311,190
18Michigan10.11101,470
19Nebraska10.119,870
20Mississippi9.9929,370
21Kentucky9.9744,970
22Indiana9.8667,350
23North Carolina9.75104,300
24Alabama9.7349,370
25New York9.68190,470
25New Hampshire9.6813,510
27Louisiana9.5443,790
28Connecticut9.4634,290
29Arkansas9.3528,490
30Alaska9.176,730
31Colorado8.9752,390
32Montana8.9210,020
33Florida8.88197,630
34Oregon8.8237,400
35Wyoming8.725,070
36Tennessee8.6360,840
37New Jersey8.4678,340
38California8.34325,620
38Washington8.3464,920
40South Carolina8.3344,030
41Hawaii8.1911,800
42Maryland8.0849,790
43Virginia869,510
44Texas7.69231,060
45Arizona7.6156,040
46Georgia7.682,970
47Oklahoma7.5430,320
47Nevada7.5423,970
49New Mexico7.5315,910
50Idaho7.0613,680
51Utah6.7522,830

What correlates with Nurses per 1k Population (2022)?

Pearson r against 2,074 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Nurses per 1k Population tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Primary Care Physicians Per 100kHealthiest States
    r = +0.76 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  2. Hospital Health Care Cost per CapitaHealth Care Costs by State
    r = +0.71 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  3. Sunflower ProductionSunflower Production by State
    r = +0.67 · strong · n = 39
    Plot
  4. Sunflower Acres HarvestedSunflower Production by State
    r = +0.67 · strong · n = 39
    Plot
  5. Personal Health Care Cost per CapitaHealth Care Costs by State
    r = +0.65 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. Real Consumer Spending per Person (2017 Dollars)Real Personal Income by State
    r = +0.65 · strong · n = 51
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Nurses per 1k Population tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Overall Racial Integration ScoreLeast Racist States
    r = −0.59 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  2. Species Diversity Rank (01-51)Most Biodiverse StatesA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.59 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  3. Debt-To-Income Ratio HighDebt by State
    r = −0.58 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. Debt-To-Income Ratio LowDebt by State
    r = −0.58 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  5. % of Households w Kids (US Census)Most Boring States
    r = −0.57 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. # of Vascular Plant SpeciesMost Biodiverse States
    r = −0.55 · strong · n = 51
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Nurses per 1k Population?
District of Columbia has the highest Nurses per 1k Population in 2022, at 17.59, followed by South Dakota (15.78) and North Dakota (14.5).
Which state has the lowest Nurses per 1k Population?
Utah has the lowest Nurses per 1k Population in 2022, at 6.75.
What is the median Nurses per 1k Population across US states?
The median is 9.68 across the 51 US states with data in 2022.
Where does this nurse-patient ratios by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: The U.S. Nursing Shortage: A State-by-State Breakdown - Provider Partners Health Plans; The U.S. Nursing Shortage: A State-by-State Breakdown - Nurse Journal.