States with large rural populations are some of the the worst states to be a nurse

States with large rural populations—mostly in the South—are the worst places to pursue a career as a nurse, says a study by WalletHub. Louisiana was ranked last overall, while the top spot went to Washington.

The study looked at 15 factors to access each state a grade. Ten categories consisted of work and environment: starting salary; annual salary; health care facilities per capita; underserved areas; projected percentage of over 65 population by 2030: educational opportunities; wage disparity; job openings; nurses per capita; and projected number of nurses per capita by 2022. The study also looked at work environment: Mandatory overtime restrictions; average hours worked; average commute time; states with the best nursing homes; and WalletHub’s “Best & Worst States for Working Moms."

Louisiana was ranked 51st, followed by Hawaii, Kentucky, West Virginia, New Jersey, Mississippi, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Alabama, Tennessee, South Dakota and Arkansas. The top states were Washington, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Texas, Wyoming, Alaska, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Minnesota was first for work environment and New Jersey was last. Oklahoma was first for opportunities and competition, while Georgia was last. (Read more)