The healthcare industry is always evolving. For example, healthcare is shifting toward personalized care by actively involving patients in their care journeys and outcomes. A similar trend, which intensified during the pandemic, has been growing among professionals who work in healthcare. Many professionals are choosing to take a more personalized approach to their careers and lifestyles.  

Healthcare workers want more and better job opportunities just like everyone else – and relocating is one way to find them. Whether you’re a recent graduate or an experienced healthcare professional, moving somewhere new is worth considering for finding greater satisfaction in your next career move.  

So, if wanderlust is calling your name and you’re thinking about the most promising locations to explore the healthcare job scene, we can help. What are the best cities and states for healthcare jobs? What’s happening in healthcare employment trends? Read on for answers and ideas to inspire your journey.  

There’s a lot of good news in store for you  

Regardless of your current healthcare profession, or your anticipated shift to a different area of healthcare, there’s a growing need for your skills and experience in cities and states across the nation. In other words, pretty much the entire country is your oyster!  

But since this is a deeply personal choice, narrowing down your geographic search depends on what you want for your life, career, and family. Meaning, the best destination for you should be more about you than the size or number of opportunities in a specific healthcare market.  

You may want to advance your area of expertise, or as mentioned, pursue a different role or healthcare sector. Cost of living and quality of life may weigh heavily in your location choice. (U.S. News & World Report recently released its ranking for the top 25 cities offering the highest quality of life). Or you may want opportunities with employers offering the greatest demographic diversity in their workforce. These and other preferences can play a big role in where you look for a new healthcare job. 

Fortunately, you can take comfort in knowing opportunities are plentiful from coast to coast. Here are two reasons: 1) You’re a member of the second largest U.S. workforce, and 2) Healthcare workers of all types are in growing demand everywhere, for the long term. Think job security.  

As of May 2024, about 22.4 million people were employed in the U.S. healthcare and social assistance industry, second only to the professional and business services industry, which employs 23 million.  

Overall employment in healthcare occupations is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations from 2022 to 2032. About 1.8 million openings are projected each year, on average, in these occupations due to employment growth and the need to replace workers who leave the occupations permanently. – U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

More good news: Employers are focused on changes for healthier workers and patients  

The American Hospital Association (AHA) 2024 Healthcare Workforce Scan reveals four fundamental factors that are shaping today’s healthcare workforce. These refreshing initiatives not only point to new job opportunities in healthcare, and new types of jobs, but they also address critical things we learned during the pandemic about the importance of shared responsibilities among staff to avoid burnout.  

1. Staffing models need modernization: Today, it takes a village to manage patient care. Effective leaders will rely more heavily on a team approach to avoid overburdening staff. 
2. Technology is a game changer: From telehealth and virtual nursing to artificial intelligence, technology plays a growing role in health care, both clinically and administratively. 
3. Care continues beyond hospital walls: The multiple benefits of providing ambulatory, community-based, and at-home care include reduced cost, greater convenience, and broader healthcare access. 
4. Hybrid work models gain traction: More than one-third of providers plan to mix in-person, hybrid, and remote models, primarily for administrative work, but also for care delivery. 

What states currently offer the best healthcare?  

This list may be intriguing to you in considering where you want to live and work. Aptly stated by U.S. News & World Report, few factors bear as heavily on the well-being of any state’s citizens as their overall health. In evaluating the best states for healthcare, the publication examined metrics reflecting healthcare access, healthcare quality, and public health outcomes. These are the results:  

#1: Hawaii 

#2: Massachusetts 

#3: Connecticut 

#4: New Jersey 

#5: Rhode Island 

#6: California 

#7: Maryland 

#8: New York 

#9: Delaware 

#10: Washington State  

Top U.S. cities for healthcare jobs  

Although far from a comprehensive list of top U.S. cities for healthcare jobs, the following cities certainly stand out in providing numerous job opportunities, competitive wages, and significant opportunities for cutting edge career advancement. In alphabetical order…  

• Baltimore, Maryland, in its proximity to Washington, D.C., is known for offering healthcare professionals numerous employment opportunities within public and governmental organizations. 

• Boston, Massachusetts is a hub for healthcare and medical research, with institutions like Massachusetts General Hospital offering ample job opportunities. The Cambridge-Quincy area is a thriving healthcare industry due to National Institutes of Health (NIH) federally funded programs. 

• Cleveland, Ohio offers numerous opportunities in the healthcare sector, supported by renowned medical institutions like the Cleveland Clinic, which is one of the United States’ best hospitals and one of the city’s largest private employers. There are job opportunities within its University Hospitals of Cleveland and MetroHealth medical centers. 

• Denver, Colorado offers healthcare professionals secure and sustainable employment through its Health Care and Social Assistance program, which has added thousands of jobs yearly since its inception in 1990. Denver is home to some of the nation’s top healthcare employers, such as the Medical Center of Aurora, Quest Diagnostics, Bonfils Blood Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and the Columbine Physicians Group. 

• Houston, Texas is home to the renowned Texas Medical Center, with the world’s largest group of research and healthcare institutions and one of the largest healthcare workforces (73,000+ people). 

• Jacksonville, Florida is home to Mayo Clinic Florida, offering numerous positions in a dynamic healthcare environment. 

• Milwaukee, Wisconsin is one of the best cities for healthcare jobs due to the number of expanding healthcare systems in its economy, including public, private, and nonprofit healthcare businesses affiliated with local and federal organizations. The healthcare job market is rapidly growing here. 

• New York, New York has received substantial funding from the NIH to focus on expanding medical care and research since 2009. The city has experienced rapid, far-reaching growth in public and private healthcare sectors, medical research, and medical technologies. 

• Norfolk, Virginia is one of the most prominent U.S. locations offering internationally renowned research, education, and specialized roles in healthcare. The Eastern Virginia Medical School, Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center, V.A. Hospital, and the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters provide healthcare professionals sustainable employment, training, research, and continuing education opportunities based on grants from the NIH and other federal programs. 

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is one of the largest cities defined as a hub for biomedical and pharmaceutical firms. Home to the Academy and College of Philadelphia, the city’s extensive medical system also features the University of Pennsylvania’s largest teaching hospital with affiliations based in the Temple University School of Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. 

Top U.S. states for healthcare jobs 

These 10 states have some of the highest demand for healthcare workers, providing abundant job opportunities for professionals to increase their skills, expertise, and income. Also in alphabetical order…  

• California is the state with the highest population in the country – and it also has the highest demand for healthcare workers, from nurses to physicians, pharmacists, and allied healthcare professionals, such as medical assistants, imaging specialists and more. 

• Florida is a popular retirement destination, and the general population is expected to grow by nearly 300,000 new residents a year, so naturally, this is one of the states with the highest demand for healthcare workers. 

• Illinois, with its rural areas, has almost 50 percent fewer physicians per capita than its urban areas. The state faces an estimated shortfall of nearly 15,000 nurses by 2025 and a deficit of 6,200 physicians by 2030.  

• Indiana’s rural counties also have some of the highest demand for healthcare workers in the country. While 62% of urban patients in Indiana are facing a healthcare shortage, 87% of rural patients live in areas with a healthcare shortage. Both urban and rural areas in Indiana need healthcare workers, presenting various job opportunities. 

• Massachusetts’ new jobs data released in March 2024 put the state’s unemployment rate at an ultra-low 3%, but the demand for healthcare workers, and especially physicians, is surging to incredibly high levels. Massachusetts continues to have high demand and substantial job opportunities for healthcare professionals. 

• New York needs healthcare professionals from primary care physicians to nurse practitioners, psychiatrists, and more. To help increase providers in the state, New York plans to add 1,640 nurse practitioner roles annually. 

• North Carolina has enacted policies to recruit more healthcare workers. The National Health Service Corps is providing student loan repayments for healthcare workers in the state and increasing funding to all counties with a healthcare shortage. Efforts to recruit healthcare workers and provide student loan repayments make North Carolina a top choice. 

• Pennsylvania has twice as many medically underserved areas as the average state, but it is also a leading state for training new healthcare industry professionals. 

• Texas is experiencing fast population growth and needs more physicians and healthcare workers in general. With well-documented shortages of primary care physicians and other specialists, growing the healthcare workforce in the state, including the number of behavioral health professionals, is a top priority 

• Wisconsin is predicted to have a shortage of healthcare workers over the next decade, caused by an aging population, as is the case in many states, and the state is actively seeking to fill these gaps. The average length of hospital stays has jumped 22% for Medicare patients, 32% for private insurance patients, and 75% for Medicaid patients.  

Work with a leading healthcare recruiter to plot your move 

Goodwin Recruiting is a leading nationwide talent recruiting firm and healthcare recruiting is one of our areas of specialization. We would be honored to work with you in finding the right job opportunity in a city and state that aligns with your career and life goals.  

Connect today with one of our expert recruiters, or explore our job board for healthcare jobs nationwide that are available with leading employers through Goodwin Recruiting.