Minnesota Named One Of America’s Best States For Nurses: Here’s Why

MINNESOTA — Minnesota was named one of the best states in America for nurses, thanks in part to its strong work environment and abundance of health care facilities, according to a new WalletHub ranking.

The personal finance website ranked Minnesota No. 7 overall in its 2026 list of the "Best & Worst States for Nurses."

Minnesota also ranked No. 7 for work environment and No. 2 in the nation for health care facilities per capita, according to the analysis.

WalletHub compared all 50 states across 20 metrics, including average nursing salaries adjusted for cost of living, nursing-job openings per capita, mandatory overtime restrictions, projected competition, nursing home quality, public hospital system quality and commute times.

Minnesota landed lower for "Opportunity & Competition," ranking No. 21 in that category. Still, its strong work environment helped push the state into the national top 10.

"Nurses are among the most essential workers in the country, as we’ve seen all too well over the past few years," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report.

"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 top 10 states for nurses, according to WalletHub, were:

1. Maine
2. New Hampshire
3. Washington
4. Oregon
5. Arizona
6. West Virginia
7. Minnesota
8. Montana
9. Connecticut
10. Florida

Wisconsin ranked No. 29 overall, while Iowa ranked No. 18, North Dakota ranked No. 49 and South Dakota ranked No. 46.

Oklahoma ranked last overall.

WalletHub said its ranking was based on data collected as of March 31 from several sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HRSA Data Warehouse, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, U.S. News & World Report and WalletHub research.