The national average salary among internal medicine physicians in the U.S. is $225,270. However, salaries vary greatly by state, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment statistics survey.
For example, the average annual salary for internal medicine physicians in West Virginia is $107,440, the lowest in the country. In Wisconsin — the state with the highest reported average salary — internists earn $347,740.
In a report released July 31, WalletHub determined the best states for healthcare by comparing all 50 states and Washington, D.C., across three dimensions: cost, access and outcomes. The states were evaluated using 44 metrics, such as cost of a medical visit, hospital beds per capita and physicians per capita.
Washington, D.C., was found to have seven times the amount of physicians per capita as Idaho, the lowest ranked state.
Here are the five states with the most physicians per capita along with the average annual salary among internists in each state:
1. Washington, D.C. ($193,930)
2. Massachusetts ($182,860)
3. Rhode Island ($247,490)
4. New York ($195,110)
5. Connecticut ($257,310)
Here are the five states with the fewest physicians per capita, along with the average annual salary among internists in each state, starting with the state with the lowest number per capita:
1. Idaho ($200,110)
2. Montana ($298,110)
3. Nevada ($206,500)
4. Wyoming (Data unavailable)
5. Utah ($236,200)