The states with the worst and best healthcare, ranked
· Business Insider
Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
Visit xsportfeed.quest for more information.
- WalletHub ranked the best and worst states for healthcare in the US.
- The analysis examined factors in three main categories: cost, access, and outcomes.
- New Hampshire was found to have the best healthcare in the US, and Alaska was ranked lowest.
The quality of healthcare in your home state can have a meaningful impact on both wellness and your wallet.
The most recent health expenditure data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services found that the average American spent $15,474 per person on healthcare in 2024, comprising 18% of America's gross domestic product.
The personal finance website WalletHub dove deeper into the data to rank the states with the best and worst healthcare in the US. The analysis was based on figures compiled by institutions including the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, the UnitedHealth Foundation, and the Health Resources and Services Administration.
To establish the ranking, WalletHub evaluated all 50 states and the District of Columbia using 44 metrics in three categories: cost, access, and outcomes.
The cost ranking included factors such as average monthly insurance premiums and the cost of medical and dental visits. To determine the access ranking, WalletHub looked at hospital beds and physicians per capita, the percentages of uninsured children and adults, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' ranking of public hospital systems. The outcomes ranking was calculated using factors such as each state's infant and maternal mortality rates, life expectancy, and rates of cancer, stroke, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Here is every state's healthcare ranked from worst to best.
51. AlaskaAerial view of downtown Fairbanks, Alaska, during a stormy summer sunset.Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images
WalletHub ranked Alaska as the worst state for healthcare overall. Its average monthly insurance premiums are the second-highest in the US, contributing to its placement as 51st in cost. Alaska also ranked 20th in access and 41st in outcomes.
50. MississippiJackson, Mississippi.Dennis MacDonald/Getty Images
Mississippi has the second-most hospital beds per capita out of any state, but it also has the third-fewest physicians per capita, the fifth-lowest percentage of insured adults, and the highest infant mortality rate in the US.
In WalletHub's analysis, Mississippi ranked 32nd in cost, 40th in access, and 51st in outcomes.
49. GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia.Adam Goldberg Photography/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Georgia has the third-lowest percentage of adults with health insurance — part of why it ranked 49th in access. The state also placed 37th in cost and 43rd in outcomes.
48. TexasDallas, Texas.travelview/Getty Images
Texas ranked 46th in cost and 39th in outcomes. It has the lowest percentages of both insured adults and insured children, lowering its access ranking to 50th. It is also the state with the third-highest percentage of adults who had not visited a dentist in the past year.
47. West VirginiaClarksburg, West Virginia.ChrisBoswell/Getty Images/iStockphoto
West Virginia ranked 41st in cost, with the highest average monthly insurance claim of any state.
It has the third-most hospital beds per capita, contributing to its 19th-place ranking in access.
West Virginia's ranking of 47th in outcomes was partially determined by it having the second-highest rate of cancer and the highest rate of stroke and heart disease.
46. AlabamaMobile, Alabama.SeanPavonePhoto/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Healthcare in Alabama ranked 14th in cost, 48th in access, and 45th in outcomes. It has the fourth-fewest physicians and third-fewest dentists per capita, and is the state with the fourth-highest percentage of adults who had not seen a dentist in the past year.
45. LouisianaNew Orleans, Louisiana.Sean Pavone/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Louisiana placed 35th in cost and 13th in access. Louisiana has the fourth-highest infant mortality rate and fifth-highest rates of cancer and stroke and heart disease, contributing to its ranking of 48th in outcomes.
44. New MexicoSanta Fe, New Mexico.MonaMakela/Getty Images
New Mexico ranked 31st in cost, 44th in access, and 40th in outcomes. It has the lowest cancer rate of any state, but also features the highest percentage of at-risk adults with no routine doctor visit in the past two years.
43. ArkansasLittle Rock, Arkansas.pabradyphoto/Getty Images
With the nation's second-highest mortality rate and third-highest rate of stroke and heart disease, Arkansas ranked 49th in outcomes. It also ranked 15th in cost and 26th in access.
42. TennesseeNashville, Tennesse.f11photo/Getty Images/iStockphoto
When it comes to receiving healthcare in Tennessee, the state's cost ranking was 18th, access ranking was 30th, and outcomes ranking was 46th.
41. OklahomaOklahoma City, Oklahoma.Sean Pavone/Getty Images
Oklahoma placed 16th in cost and 44th in outcomes.
It has the second-lowest percentage of insured adults and fourth-lowest percentage of insured children, putting its overall access ranking at 39th.
40. District of ColumbiaWashington, DC.Westy72/Getty Images
The District of Columbia ranked 43rd in cost, 32nd in access, and 34th in outcomes.
The nation's capital boasts the most hospital beds and the most physicians per capita. It also has the second-highest percentage of insured adults and tied for the fourth-highest percentage of insured children with Connecticut. Its cancer rate is the fifth-lowest in the US.
39. New YorkNew York, New York.william87/Getty Images
New York featured one of the worst cost rankings, placing 50th in WalletHub's analysis. However, it placed 22nd in access and 26th in outcomes, with the fourth-lowest infant mortality rate and the third-most physicians per capita.
38. North CarolinaCharlotte, North Carolina.Kruck20/Getty Images/iStockphoto
North Carolina's healthcare ranked 33rd in cost, 45th in access, and 35th in outcomes, per WalletHub.
37. WyomingCasper, Wyoming.GummyBone/Getty Images
Wyoming ranked 48th in cost, with the fourth-highest average monthly insurance premium of any state, and 42nd in access, with the second-lowest percentage of children with health insurance.
Wyoming placed 23rd in outcomes.
36. FloridaFort Lauderdale, Florida.Sean Pavone/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Florida's healthcare ranked 27th in cost, 41st in access, and 38th in outcomes. The state features the fourth-lowest percentage of insured adults.
35. NevadaLas Vegas, Nevada.f11photo/Getty Images/iStockphoto
In Nevada, the healthcare cost ranking was 17th, the access ranking was 46th, and the outcomes ranking was 42nd. Nevada has the fewest physicians per capita of any state.
34. KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky.alexeys/Getty Images
Kentucky has the highest cancer rate and the second-highest stroke and heart disease rate in the US, contributing to its outcomes ranking of 50th. Its healthcare cost and access rankings fared much better, at 10th and 9th, respectively.
33. OregonPortland, Oregon.espiegle/Getty Images
Healthcare in Oregon was ranked 49th in cost, 27th in access, and 15th in outcomes.
WalletHub found that Oregon had the fourth-fewest hospital beds per capita.
32. ArizonaPhoenix, Arizona.Kruck20/Getty Images/iStockphoto
In terms of overall healthcare rankings, Arizona's cost ranked 34th, and its access ranked 38th. Arizona's healthcare outcomes ranked 29th, with the fourth-lowest cancer rate in the US.
31. DelawareWilmington, Delaware.Chris Boswell/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Delaware's healthcare placed 28th in cost, 35th in access, and 31st in outcomes. The state features the third-highest infant mortality rate in the US behind Arkansas and Mississippi.
30. New JerseyNewark, New Jersey.Leonid Andronov/Getty Images
WalletHub ranked New Jersey's healthcare 42nd in cost and 21st in both access and outcomes, with the second-lowest infant mortality rate.
29. WashingtonSeattle, Washington.SCStock/Getty Images
Washington ranked 44th in cost and 43rd in access. It has the second-lowest rate of stroke and heart disease in the US, contributing to its 10th-place outcomes ranking.
28. South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina.Sean Pavone/Getty Images/iStockphoto
South Carolina's healthcare cost ranking was the fifth-best in the US. Its access and outcomes both ranked 37th.
27. IllinoisChicago, Illinois.Iryna Olkhova/Getty Images
Illinois has the second-most dentists per capita with an access ranking of 24th. Its healthcare cost ranking was 26th, and its outcomes ranking was 28th.
26. IndianaIndianapolis, Indiana.Nicholas Klein/Getty Images
Indiana was found to have the fifth-lowest average monthly insurance premium in the US, putting its cost ranking within the top 10 at 8th overall. The state also placed 31st in access and 33rd in outcomes.
25. OhioRudyBalasko/Getty Images
Ohio ranked as the sixth-best US state for healthcare cost in the WalletHub study. However, the state also ranked lower for healthcare access and health outcomes, at 34th and 32nd place, respectively, and has the fifth-lowest number of dentists per capita.
24. CaliforniaPalm Springs, California.Robert Brill/Getty Images
Despite having relatively high healthcare cost, placing 39th, the healthcare system in California has the highest medical resident retention rates in the country, the fifth-lowest infant mortality rate, and the fifth-lowest rate of stroke and heart disease among its residents.
It placed 25th in access and 14th in outcomes.
23. MissouriSean Pavone/Getty Images
Missouri ranked among the top 20 best states for both healthcare cost and access, placing 19th and 12th, respectively, but fell behind in health outcomes, ranking 36th.
22. VirginiaCharlottesville, Virginia.Eli Wilson/Getty Images
Virginia ranked 9th for health cost and has the third-lowest average monthly insurance premium nationwide, but it was also among the lowest-ranked states in the study's access ranking, at 47th.
It ranked 22nd in outcomes.
21. MichiganDetroit, Michigan.Vadym Terelyuk/Getty Images
Michigan is seventh in the study's health cost ranking but 36th in access. It was 27th for outcomes.
20. IdahoBoise, Idaho.christiannafzger/Getty Images
Idaho, which ranked fifth-highest nationwide for health outcomes, has the lowest rate of stroke and heart disease among all US states and the second-lowest average monthly insurance premium.
However, the state ranks 38th and 33rd in healthcare cost and access, respectively, and has the second-lowest number of hospital beds and physicians per capita among US states.
19. UtahSean Pavone/Getty Images
Utah ranked eighth for its health outcomes and had the fourth-lowest stroke and heart disease rates, along with the fourth-lowest share of adults who haven't had a dental visit in the past year. It ranked 22nd for cost.
However, the state was also the lowest-ranked for healthcare access, had the fifth-lowest number of physicians per capita, and the fewest hospital beds per capita out of all US states.
18. MontanaMissoula, Montana.GummyBone/Getty Images
Montana ranked as having the 15th-best health access in the country, and the health system in the state stands out for its retention of medical residents, ranking third-highest in the nation.
The state ranked 29th for cost and 20th for outcomes.
17. MarylandKruck20/Getty Images
Maryland ranks among the top 20 US states for health outcomes and healthcare cost, with residents paying the fourth-lowest average monthly insurance premiums.
However, the state's access to healthcare falls behind at 28th, with the state having the fifth-lowest number of hospital beds per capita.
16. VermontJim Espey/Getty Images
Vermont has some of the highest shares of insured adults and children under 18 in the US, ranking fourth and second-highest, respectively, and also ranks as the fourth-best state for health outcomes. It's 16th for access.
However, the state also has some of the highest healthcare cost in the US, ranking 47th overall, with residents paying the third-highest average monthly insurance premiums.
15. ConnecticutVadym Terelyuk/Getty Images
Connecticut ranked among the top 15 US states for healthcare. The state ranked sixth nationwide for health outcomes, is tied for the fourth-highest share of children under 18 who are insured, and has the third-highest number of dentists and the fourth-highest number of physicians per capita.
Despite its wide and high-quality access to care, the state is among those with some of the highest cost in the country, ranking 45th, and has the fifth-highest average monthly insurance premiums in the US.
14. North DakotaFargo, North DakotaSanghwan Kim/Getty Images
North Dakota is ranked as the best state nationwide for health access, despite ranking 30th for healthcare cost and 25th for health outcomes.
13. PennsylvaniaPittsburgh.Sean Pavone/Getty Images
Pennsylvania ranked 12th in the WalletHub study's cost ranking and 18th in both access and health outcomes.
12. South DakotaUltima_Gaina/Getty Images
South Dakota ranked fourth nationwide in cost and seventh in access, despite falling to 30th in health outcomes.
11. KansasLawrence, Kansas.Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Kansas, with the fifth-highest number of hospital beds per capita, ranked as the 11th-best US state for healthcare cost and access. It ranked 24th for outcomes.
10. NebraskaOmaha, Nebraska.Sean Pavone/Getty Images
Nebraska is ranked among the top 10 US states for healthcare. The state placed eighth in the study's access ranking, but fell to 21st for healthcare cost and 16th for outcomes.
9. Coloradof11photo/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Colorado has the fourth-highest number of dentists per capita and the third-lowest cancer rate, but it's also tied with Minnesota and Alaska for the second-highest rate of at-risk adults who have not had a routine visit with a doctor in the past two years. It ranked 36th in the study's cost rank.
8. Wisconsinmarchello74/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Wisconsin placed sixth on the study's access rank, but lower at 24 on the cost rank. It's 13th for outcomes.
7. MaineBar Harbor, Maine.SCStock/Getty Images
Maine ranked third in the WalletHub study's access ranking and seventh for best healthcare overall. The state is tied with Alabama, Indiana, and Rhode Island in having the third-lowest share of at-risk adults who haven't had a routine doctor visit in the past two years.
6. MassachusettsBoston.Vadym Terelyuk/Getty Images
Ranked as the sixth-best US state for healthcare, Massachusetts has the highest rate of both adults and children under 18 covered by health insurance among all states. It also has the second-lowest cancer rate, third-lowest infant mortality rate, and second-highest number of physicians per capita. The state also has the third-lowest rate of stroke and heart disease in the US.
Its cost rank is high at 40th overall.
5. HawaiiHonolulu, HawaiiEngel Ching/Getty Images
Hawaii has the third-highest share of adults ages 19 to 64 with health insurance and the third-lowest share of adults who haven't had a dental visit in the past year.
The state also has the highest dentists per capita. Its cost rank is 25th, access is 23rd, but it comes in third for outcomes.
4. Rhode IslandWirestock/Getty Images
Rhode Island is 13th for cost, 10th for access, and ninth for outcomes. The state has the fifth-highest share of insured adults aged 19 to 64 and the fifth-highest number of physicians per capita.
Rhode Island is tied with Alabama, Indiana, and Maine for the third-lowest share of at-risk adults who haven't had a routine doctor visit in the past two years.
3. IowaSean Pavone/Getty Images
Iowa ranked as the third-best US state for healthcare, thanks partly to its low-cost medical care. The state ranked first for cost, including being the eighth-lowest in out-of-pocket medical spending, with residents spending only 7.9% of their income on medical care.
Despite having the third-highest cancer rate in the country, Iowa has the fifth-shortest emergency room wait time and the third-best hospital system in the nation. Plus, 93% of adults and 97% of children are covered by health insurance.
2. MinnesotaSt. Paul, Minnesota.RudyBalasko/Getty Images
Minnesota has the highest number of convenient care clinics per capita, and, on average, it takes about 16 minutes for people in the state to reach an emergency room. The state also has a low maternal mortality rate and the seventh-highest life expectancy in the country.
The state ranked third in cost, second in access, and 11th in outcomes.
1. New HampshireSean Pavone/Getty Images/iStockphoto
New Hampshire ranked as the US state with the best healthcare in the WalletHub study. Ranking second in cost, the state has the lowest average monthly insurance premium at around $469 and the second-lowest out-of-pocket medical spending among all states. It also has the lowest infant mortality rate in the country. It ranks 17th in access and first in outcomes.
Read the original article on Business Insider