SEATTLE, WA —Washington state was rated as the No. 1 state for nurses this week in a study done by the personal finance website Wallethub.

According to WalletHub, all 50 states were evaluated across two key dimensions “Opportunity and Competition” and “Work Environment,” in order to help registered nurses, particularly new graduates, pick a place to live that will brings success.

Within the two dimensions, a total of 21 metrics were evaluated, including salary, number of healthcare facilities and quality of nursing schools —which fell under “Opportunity and Competition ” — and mandatory overtime restrictions, nurse’s job growth and friendliness toward working moms — which fell under “Work Environment.”

Washington ranked No. 5 overall in “Opportunity and Competition” and No. 6 in “Work Environment.” The state’s total score of 61.62 put it ahead of No. 2 Maine (60.73), No. 3 New Mexico (58.46), No. 4 Minnesota (56.46) and No. 5 New Hampshire (56.14).

WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez told Center Square Washington that the state was ranked No. 1 because it has a high average salary for nurses, a large share of the population —47 percent — living in a primary care health professional shortage area, and high-quality nursing schools.

Additionally, Gonzalez said Washington is a good place for nurses to find work: There are a large number of nursing job opportunities per capita, a small number of nurses and low projected competition in 2028.

In fact, in the survey, Washington ranked No. 4, behind Nevada, Arizona and Alaska, in low projected competition in 2028.

Gonzalez said Washington also rated high in a few key “Work Environment” metrics.

“The work environment for nurses in Washington is very good due to the mandatory overtime restrictions and the fact that state practice and licensure laws provide for all nurse practitioners to evaluate patients, diagnose, order and interpret tests and initiate and manage treatment,” Gonzalez said. “Lastly, the state has a large share of five-star rated nursing homes, almost 23 percent.”

The lowest rated states for nurses, according to the WalletHub study, were: No. 50 Oklahoma (38.78), No. 49 Alabama (39.32), No. 48 Hawaii (39.41), No. 47 Arkansas (40.15) and No. 46 Mississippi (40.96).