New Hampshire is second-best state for nurses, report finds

With National Nurses Week kicking off May 6, the personal-finance company WalletHub today released its report on 2026's Best and Worst States for Nurses, to help nurses, especially new graduates, find the best markets for their profession.

WalletHub compared the relative attractiveness of the 50 states across 20 key metrics. The data set ranges from job openings for nurses per capita and average salaries to mandatory overtime restrictions and the quality of nursing homes.

The Nursing Market in New Hampshire (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

• Overall Rank: 2^nd
• 24^th - Health-Care Facilities per Capita
• 6^th - Projected Share of Elderly Population by 2050
• 1^st - Nursing-Job Openings per Capita
• 21^st - Share of Best Nursing Homes
• 14^th - Projected Competition by 2032
• 6^th - Avg. Number of Work Hours

For the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-for-nurses/4041



"Nurses are among the most essential workers in the country, as we've seen all too well over the past few years. Since they work in such a demanding profession, nurses deserve to work in places that will compensate them appropriately and offer them reasonable working conditions. The best states for nurses have high salaries, mandatory overtime limits, high-quality health care facilities and plenty of job opportunities."
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"Maine is the best state for nurses, boasting one of the largest number of nursing and residential care facilities per capita. This naturally has led to a large number of job opportunities for nurses. Finally, Maine has the fifth-lowest average tuition costs per credit for a Bachelor of Nursing Science online program, which can help people get their degrees without going into too much debt."

- Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst