West Virginia employs the largest percentage of healthcare workers compared to its total workforce of any U.S. state, according to a new analysis from KFF.
KFF examined May 2024 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ State Occupational Employment Statistics Survey. The survey offers wage and employment estimates by state and industry for research purposes only and excludes self-employed workers.
Nationwide, 12% of workers were employed by ambulatory health care services, hospitals and nursing or residential care facilities.
Here’s how every state and the District of Columbia stack up:
Note: Colorado’s data was not included due to quality concerns tied to the state’s ongoing modernization of its unemployment insurance system.
West Virginia — 16% healthcare workforce share
New York — 15%
Maine — 14%
Pennsylvania — 14%
Rhode Island — 14%
Massachusetts — 14%
South Dakota — 14%
Louisiana — 14%
Ohio — 14%
Minnesota — 13%
Alaska — 13%
Connecticut — 13%
Delaware — 13%
Michigan — 13%
Indiana — 13%
Vermont — 13%
Florida — 12%
Idaho — 12%
New Jersey — 12%
North Dakota — 12%
Kentucky — 12%
Maryland — 12%
Missouri — 12%
Montana — 12%
Arkansas — 12%
Arizona — 12%
Kansas — 12%
United States — 12%
Mississippi — 12%
New Hampshire — 12%
Nebraska — 12%
Alabama — 12%
Tennessee — 12%
New Mexico — 12%
Oklahoma — 12%
Illinois — 12%
Iowa — 12%
North Carolina — 12%
Oregon — 11%
Wisconsin — 11%
South Carolina — 11%
Texas — 11%
California — 11%
Georgia — 11%
Virginia — 10%
Washington — 10%
Hawaii — 10%
Utah — 10%
Wyoming — 10%
