Post by buyhealthworld on Jun 3, 2020 11:51:19 GMT
If you aspire to be or already are a registered nurse, then head west -- or east. Cities in California and Massachusetts dominated this latest best-city-for-a-profession study, taking up 10 slots in the top 25 of our rankings (full list below).
At ValuePenguin, we believe that the quality of professionals' work life can vary depending upon their field and their city. The better cities for a particular field are those that score well in three categories that affect all registered nurses: median salary, cost of living and location quotient.
Best Five Cities for Nurses
Of the 377 cities reporting data, these five earned our best score, comprising the factors of median salary, cost of living and location quotient. Speaking of salary, the 2.7 million nurses employed in the U.S. in May 2014 earned $69,790 on average, or an hourly wage of $33.55, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
1. Redding, Calif.
With strong, top-50 scores in every category we analyzed (full methodology below), Redding took the top spot in our rankings. It's no wonder: Two of the city's top four employers are expansive medical centers. Redding is already anticipating even more growth in the attractive job sector.
2. Lawrence, Mass.
The first of three Massachusetts cities to rank in the top 10, Lawrence is the least populous city among our top five but recorded a top 20 location quotient to make up for this fact. The University of Kansas' nurse residency program, which is one year long, reported that job retention rates for its nurses have been higher than 95% for the past five years.
Statistical region includes: Methuen, Mass., and Salem, N.H.
3. Hanford, Calif.
Despite having just 1,180 positions in its metro area, Hanford checked in at No. 3, in part because its annual average salary ($91,340) was 40% higher than the study's average. The second of four California cities to crack our top 10, it includes the city of Corcoran in its metro area.
Statistical region includes: Corcoran, Calif.
4. Worcester, Mass.
Overcoming the fact that it's 16% more expensive to live there than it is in the average American city, Worcester improved from its sixth-place standing in our 2013 study for nurse practitioners. A dozen miles south of Worcester, the most populous city among the top five, is Oxford, Mass., the birthplace of pioneering nurse Clara Barton, who founded the American Red Cross.
5. Ann Arbor, Mich.
Recording the study's eighth-best location quotient (1.96), a metric that speaks to the demand for a given profession's demand within the city, Ann Arbor rounded out our top five. It doesn't hurt to have the University of Michigan's nationally-ranked nursing program within the city limits. The university's health system had the country's 32nd-largest largest hospital in 2014 -- it had 931 beds. There will be another new clinic in the area, thanks to federal grant money stemming from the Affordable Care Act.
Top 100 Cities for Nurses
Here are the top 100 cities for registered nurses to work and live:
Rank
City
Average Salary
Jobs
Location Quotient
Cost of Living
Score1
Redding, CA
$89,960
1,780
1.55
103
105
2
Lawrence, MA
$78,370
2,190
1.77
103
107
3
Hanford, CA
$91,340
1,180
1.56
103
110
4
Worcester, MA
$90,350
6,670
1.34
116
112
5
Ann Arbor, MI
$69,580
7,990
1.96
112
118
6
Chico, CA
$77,310
2,240
1.58
103
127
7
New Haven, CT
$79,380
7,460
1.36
139
129
8
Boston, MA
$90,880
43,460
1.22
145
134
9
Rochester, MN
$65,650
6,720
3.24
117
153
10
Durham, NC
$67,160
8,610
1.52
85
159
11
Napa, CA
$100,210
1,690
1.26
103
159
12
Charleston, SC
$66,510
9,440
1.54
86
160
13
Providence, RI
$75,650
13,720
1.25
90
168
14
Kankakee, IL
$71,530
1,340
1.67
103
169
15
Barnstable Town, MA
$79,730
2,540
1.29
103
169
16
Vineland, NJ
$71,320
1,810
1.54
103
178
17
Peabody, MA
$73,140
2,760
1.36
103
179
18
Cleveland, OH
$65,430
29,080
1.44
93
185
19
Brockton, MA
$84,450
2,220
1.22
103
188
20
Waterbury, CT
$69,830
1,840
1.46
103
190
21
Bangor, ME
$66,200
2,120
1.67
103
192
22
Killeen, TX
$66,500
3,630
1.40
85
192
23
Bend, OR
$82,960
1,620
1.24
103
193
24
Detroit, MI
$69,650
17,940
1.26
98
194
25
Saginaw, MI
$66,030
2,640
1.58
103
195
26
Duluth, MN
$66,780
3,430
1.38
93
197
27
Tacoma, WA
$77,510
6,300
1.18
99
198
28
Wenatchee, WA
$74,290
1,080
1.36
103
199
29
Greenville, NC
$63,130
3,070
2.02
86
202
30
Flint, MI
$64,920
4,210
1.57
91
202
31
Spokane, WA
$73,080
5,000
1.24
90
204
32
Philadelphia, PA
$74,170
43,040
1.16
92
204
33
Jackson, MS
$63,250
8,070
1.62
89
207
34
Wilmington, DE
$71,430
8,240
1.23
95
209
35
Augusta, GA
$65,150
5,860
1.44
103
210
36
Eau Claire, WI
$66,500
2,230
1.42
103
211
37
New Bedford, MA
$73,580
1,680
1.29
103
212
38
Camden, NJ
$76,370
11,460
1.14
98
213
39
Springfield, MA
$73,470
6,890
1.19
88
215
40
Bay City, MI
$69,360
990
1.42
103
216
41
Carson, NV
$78,020
670
1.27
103
219
42
St. Cloud, MN
$79,700
2,320
1.17
103
220
43
Jackson, MI
$64,530
2,000
1.73
103
221
44
Modesto, CA
$104,350
3,360
1.05
80
223
45
Oakland, CA
$122,750
20,310
1.00
84
225
46
Baltimore, MD
$72,690
29,740
1.16
168
227
47
Leominster, MA
$80,200
1,130
1.19
103
229
48
Winston-Salem, NC
$61,000
8,110
1.95
106
231
49
Asheville, NC
$62,030
5,640
1.62
95
235
50
Medford, OR
$78,310
1,790
1.16
103
235
51
Albuquerque, NM
$66,720
8,960
1.22
86
236
52
Manchester, NH
$67,650
2,610
1.27
103
239
53
Pueblo, CO
$62,790
2,000
1.79
103
241
54
Charlottesville, VA
$64,190
2,890
1.48
103
242
55
Gainesville, FL
$60,660
5,610
2.30
103
243
56
Milwaukee, WI
$67,560
18,940
1.16
102
246
57
Allentown, PA
$66,060
8,350
1.23
94
247
58
Kalamazoo, MI
$64,200
3,560
1.36
96
247
59
Anchorage, AK
$86,230
3,660
1.04
84
249
60
Iowa, IA
$60,470
3,320
1.87
101
256
61
Steubenville, OH
$62,870
1,360
1.69
103
258
62
Eugene, OR
$80,320
2,980
1.06
103
260
63
Johnstown, PA
$62,120
1,810
1.69
103
262
64
Santa Rosa, CA
$102,660
3,580
0.98
95
262
65
Columbus, OH
$65,090
23,390
1.21
90
262
66
Miami, FL
$63,900
26,340
1.26
112
265
67
Florence, SC
$60,470
3,000
1.85
103
266
68
Salem, OR
$77,860
3,110
1.05
86
269
69
Hartford, CT
$74,160
11,780
1.05
94
271
70
Newark, NJ
$81,310
18,770
0.98
140
276
71
Madison, WI
$74,730
7,210
1.04
86
281
72
Cumberland, MD
$65,010
970
1.36
103
282
73
Atlantic City, NJ
$73,980
2,860
1.09
103
282
74
Springfield, IL
$62,480
2,950
1.36
103
283
75
Sacramento, CA
$105,390
15,750
0.92
125
285
76
Dayton, OH
$60,770
10,210
1.39
111
287
77
Billings, MT
$65,180
2,030
1.26
103
287
78
Tucson, AZ
$66,050
8,030
1.14
91
287
79
Grand Junction, CO
$67,530
1,400
1.19
103
291
80
New Orleans, LA
$65,280
12,450
1.16
167
292
81
Edison, NJ
$77,510
19,440
0.98
110
292
82
Buffalo, NY
$68,520
11,370
1.06
91
294
83
Honolulu, HI
$90,260
8,200
0.92
94
296
84
New York, NY
$86,010
98,330
0.92
152
297
85
Gary, IN
$64,340
6,340
1.20
152
298
86
Little Rock, AR
$60,330
9,300
1.39
134
298
87
Trenton, NJ
$70,060
4,750
1.07
107
298
88
Harrisburg, PA
$65,990
7,050
1.14
108
299
89
Portland, ME
$66,850
4,450
1.12
109
301
90
Vallejo, CA
$114,290
2,260
0.94
103
302
91
Sherman, TX
$60,130
1,450
1.74
103
302
92
Topeka, KS
$62,430
2,880
1.32
103
303
93
Lubbock, TX
$60,540
3,630
1.37
91
305
94
Birmingham, AL
$58,580
15,240
1.55
93
305
95
Missoula, MT
$64,170
1,460
1.28
103
305
96
Alexandria, LA
$59,070
2,300
1.89
103
306
97
Stockton, CA
$89,430
3,840
0.93
91
307
98
Richmond, VA
$63,770
14,350
1.17
115
308
99
Lewiston, ME
$60,630
1,470
1.55
103
309
100
Cincinnati, OH
$63,340
23,570
1.17
108
309
Show All Rows
Methodology
These were the three key questions we asked in coming up with the list.
1. What can nurses earn in the city?
We ranked the best cities for nurses based on the median annual pay. Income is likely the most important factor people consider when starting their career or relocating elsewhere. A high salary in an expensive city, however, may be less attractive than a lower salary in an affordable town. Our next metric takes affordability into consideration.
2. How affordable is it to live in this city?
Now that we have the median salary, we’ll look next at the cost of living. The cost of living is a measure of how far earnings can be stretched. Cities with lower cost of living index numbers ranked higher in our study. For example, the average city is benchmarked at 100. A city with a cost of living index of 188, such as Honolulu, would mean that generally speaking, living expenses are 88 percent more expensive compared to the average city.
3. What is the location quotient for nurses in the city?
A place with a high median salary and low cost of living may seem perfect, but job opportunities may be limited. Our third factor accounts for this by favoring cities with high location quotients. Location quotient measures the concentration of nurses in an area as a percentage of all occupations, and then compares that to the national average. We interpret a higher location quotient to mean a relatively higher demand for a nurse's services.
At ValuePenguin, we believe that the quality of professionals' work life can vary depending upon their field and their city. The better cities for a particular field are those that score well in three categories that affect all registered nurses: median salary, cost of living and location quotient.
Best Five Cities for Nurses
Of the 377 cities reporting data, these five earned our best score, comprising the factors of median salary, cost of living and location quotient. Speaking of salary, the 2.7 million nurses employed in the U.S. in May 2014 earned $69,790 on average, or an hourly wage of $33.55, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
1. Redding, Calif.
With strong, top-50 scores in every category we analyzed (full methodology below), Redding took the top spot in our rankings. It's no wonder: Two of the city's top four employers are expansive medical centers. Redding is already anticipating even more growth in the attractive job sector.
2. Lawrence, Mass.
The first of three Massachusetts cities to rank in the top 10, Lawrence is the least populous city among our top five but recorded a top 20 location quotient to make up for this fact. The University of Kansas' nurse residency program, which is one year long, reported that job retention rates for its nurses have been higher than 95% for the past five years.
Statistical region includes: Methuen, Mass., and Salem, N.H.
3. Hanford, Calif.
Despite having just 1,180 positions in its metro area, Hanford checked in at No. 3, in part because its annual average salary ($91,340) was 40% higher than the study's average. The second of four California cities to crack our top 10, it includes the city of Corcoran in its metro area.
Statistical region includes: Corcoran, Calif.
4. Worcester, Mass.
Overcoming the fact that it's 16% more expensive to live there than it is in the average American city, Worcester improved from its sixth-place standing in our 2013 study for nurse practitioners. A dozen miles south of Worcester, the most populous city among the top five, is Oxford, Mass., the birthplace of pioneering nurse Clara Barton, who founded the American Red Cross.
5. Ann Arbor, Mich.
Recording the study's eighth-best location quotient (1.96), a metric that speaks to the demand for a given profession's demand within the city, Ann Arbor rounded out our top five. It doesn't hurt to have the University of Michigan's nationally-ranked nursing program within the city limits. The university's health system had the country's 32nd-largest largest hospital in 2014 -- it had 931 beds. There will be another new clinic in the area, thanks to federal grant money stemming from the Affordable Care Act.
Top 100 Cities for Nurses
Here are the top 100 cities for registered nurses to work and live:
Rank
City
Average Salary
Jobs
Location Quotient
Cost of Living
Score1
Redding, CA
$89,960
1,780
1.55
103
105
2
Lawrence, MA
$78,370
2,190
1.77
103
107
3
Hanford, CA
$91,340
1,180
1.56
103
110
4
Worcester, MA
$90,350
6,670
1.34
116
112
5
Ann Arbor, MI
$69,580
7,990
1.96
112
118
6
Chico, CA
$77,310
2,240
1.58
103
127
7
New Haven, CT
$79,380
7,460
1.36
139
129
8
Boston, MA
$90,880
43,460
1.22
145
134
9
Rochester, MN
$65,650
6,720
3.24
117
153
10
Durham, NC
$67,160
8,610
1.52
85
159
11
Napa, CA
$100,210
1,690
1.26
103
159
12
Charleston, SC
$66,510
9,440
1.54
86
160
13
Providence, RI
$75,650
13,720
1.25
90
168
14
Kankakee, IL
$71,530
1,340
1.67
103
169
15
Barnstable Town, MA
$79,730
2,540
1.29
103
169
16
Vineland, NJ
$71,320
1,810
1.54
103
178
17
Peabody, MA
$73,140
2,760
1.36
103
179
18
Cleveland, OH
$65,430
29,080
1.44
93
185
19
Brockton, MA
$84,450
2,220
1.22
103
188
20
Waterbury, CT
$69,830
1,840
1.46
103
190
21
Bangor, ME
$66,200
2,120
1.67
103
192
22
Killeen, TX
$66,500
3,630
1.40
85
192
23
Bend, OR
$82,960
1,620
1.24
103
193
24
Detroit, MI
$69,650
17,940
1.26
98
194
25
Saginaw, MI
$66,030
2,640
1.58
103
195
26
Duluth, MN
$66,780
3,430
1.38
93
197
27
Tacoma, WA
$77,510
6,300
1.18
99
198
28
Wenatchee, WA
$74,290
1,080
1.36
103
199
29
Greenville, NC
$63,130
3,070
2.02
86
202
30
Flint, MI
$64,920
4,210
1.57
91
202
31
Spokane, WA
$73,080
5,000
1.24
90
204
32
Philadelphia, PA
$74,170
43,040
1.16
92
204
33
Jackson, MS
$63,250
8,070
1.62
89
207
34
Wilmington, DE
$71,430
8,240
1.23
95
209
35
Augusta, GA
$65,150
5,860
1.44
103
210
36
Eau Claire, WI
$66,500
2,230
1.42
103
211
37
New Bedford, MA
$73,580
1,680
1.29
103
212
38
Camden, NJ
$76,370
11,460
1.14
98
213
39
Springfield, MA
$73,470
6,890
1.19
88
215
40
Bay City, MI
$69,360
990
1.42
103
216
41
Carson, NV
$78,020
670
1.27
103
219
42
St. Cloud, MN
$79,700
2,320
1.17
103
220
43
Jackson, MI
$64,530
2,000
1.73
103
221
44
Modesto, CA
$104,350
3,360
1.05
80
223
45
Oakland, CA
$122,750
20,310
1.00
84
225
46
Baltimore, MD
$72,690
29,740
1.16
168
227
47
Leominster, MA
$80,200
1,130
1.19
103
229
48
Winston-Salem, NC
$61,000
8,110
1.95
106
231
49
Asheville, NC
$62,030
5,640
1.62
95
235
50
Medford, OR
$78,310
1,790
1.16
103
235
51
Albuquerque, NM
$66,720
8,960
1.22
86
236
52
Manchester, NH
$67,650
2,610
1.27
103
239
53
Pueblo, CO
$62,790
2,000
1.79
103
241
54
Charlottesville, VA
$64,190
2,890
1.48
103
242
55
Gainesville, FL
$60,660
5,610
2.30
103
243
56
Milwaukee, WI
$67,560
18,940
1.16
102
246
57
Allentown, PA
$66,060
8,350
1.23
94
247
58
Kalamazoo, MI
$64,200
3,560
1.36
96
247
59
Anchorage, AK
$86,230
3,660
1.04
84
249
60
Iowa, IA
$60,470
3,320
1.87
101
256
61
Steubenville, OH
$62,870
1,360
1.69
103
258
62
Eugene, OR
$80,320
2,980
1.06
103
260
63
Johnstown, PA
$62,120
1,810
1.69
103
262
64
Santa Rosa, CA
$102,660
3,580
0.98
95
262
65
Columbus, OH
$65,090
23,390
1.21
90
262
66
Miami, FL
$63,900
26,340
1.26
112
265
67
Florence, SC
$60,470
3,000
1.85
103
266
68
Salem, OR
$77,860
3,110
1.05
86
269
69
Hartford, CT
$74,160
11,780
1.05
94
271
70
Newark, NJ
$81,310
18,770
0.98
140
276
71
Madison, WI
$74,730
7,210
1.04
86
281
72
Cumberland, MD
$65,010
970
1.36
103
282
73
Atlantic City, NJ
$73,980
2,860
1.09
103
282
74
Springfield, IL
$62,480
2,950
1.36
103
283
75
Sacramento, CA
$105,390
15,750
0.92
125
285
76
Dayton, OH
$60,770
10,210
1.39
111
287
77
Billings, MT
$65,180
2,030
1.26
103
287
78
Tucson, AZ
$66,050
8,030
1.14
91
287
79
Grand Junction, CO
$67,530
1,400
1.19
103
291
80
New Orleans, LA
$65,280
12,450
1.16
167
292
81
Edison, NJ
$77,510
19,440
0.98
110
292
82
Buffalo, NY
$68,520
11,370
1.06
91
294
83
Honolulu, HI
$90,260
8,200
0.92
94
296
84
New York, NY
$86,010
98,330
0.92
152
297
85
Gary, IN
$64,340
6,340
1.20
152
298
86
Little Rock, AR
$60,330
9,300
1.39
134
298
87
Trenton, NJ
$70,060
4,750
1.07
107
298
88
Harrisburg, PA
$65,990
7,050
1.14
108
299
89
Portland, ME
$66,850
4,450
1.12
109
301
90
Vallejo, CA
$114,290
2,260
0.94
103
302
91
Sherman, TX
$60,130
1,450
1.74
103
302
92
Topeka, KS
$62,430
2,880
1.32
103
303
93
Lubbock, TX
$60,540
3,630
1.37
91
305
94
Birmingham, AL
$58,580
15,240
1.55
93
305
95
Missoula, MT
$64,170
1,460
1.28
103
305
96
Alexandria, LA
$59,070
2,300
1.89
103
306
97
Stockton, CA
$89,430
3,840
0.93
91
307
98
Richmond, VA
$63,770
14,350
1.17
115
308
99
Lewiston, ME
$60,630
1,470
1.55
103
309
100
Cincinnati, OH
$63,340
23,570
1.17
108
309
Show All Rows
Methodology
These were the three key questions we asked in coming up with the list.
1. What can nurses earn in the city?
We ranked the best cities for nurses based on the median annual pay. Income is likely the most important factor people consider when starting their career or relocating elsewhere. A high salary in an expensive city, however, may be less attractive than a lower salary in an affordable town. Our next metric takes affordability into consideration.
2. How affordable is it to live in this city?
Now that we have the median salary, we’ll look next at the cost of living. The cost of living is a measure of how far earnings can be stretched. Cities with lower cost of living index numbers ranked higher in our study. For example, the average city is benchmarked at 100. A city with a cost of living index of 188, such as Honolulu, would mean that generally speaking, living expenses are 88 percent more expensive compared to the average city.
3. What is the location quotient for nurses in the city?
A place with a high median salary and low cost of living may seem perfect, but job opportunities may be limited. Our third factor accounts for this by favoring cities with high location quotients. Location quotient measures the concentration of nurses in an area as a percentage of all occupations, and then compares that to the national average. We interpret a higher location quotient to mean a relatively higher demand for a nurse's services.