10 Best Cities with the Most Healthcare Jobs in 2017

Here is a list for people looking for open positions in the healthcare sector – best cities with the most healthcare jobs in 2017 – where you can find places with more than 100 job posts per 10,000 residents. For most healthcare professionals finding a job should be relatively easy. In last few years healthcare has been a significant driver of employment growth in the US. Between 2010 and 2016 the employment in the industry has increased 42%, while 4.6 million jobs were added. The majority of new openings appeared in hospitals (1.1 million), home health care services (728,800) and physicians’ offices (726,600).

A few factors influenced the increase – aging population, a rise in the number of patients suffering from chronic conditions, and Obamacare, which brought health insurance to 20 million people since it was introduced, subsequently creating the strong demand for healthcare professionals. According to Goldman Sachs’s report, since 2012 half a million of all new jobs in the sector were created due to the implementation of Obamacare.

However, the recent debate over Affordable Act Care has slowed down the employment growth in the healthcare industry. Latest BLS data show that during first four months of 2017 the industry added 77,800 positions, which accounted for 10.5% of all jobs created in the US since the beginning of the year. Compared to the same period of time last year, when 119,800 healthcare jobs were opened (16% share of all new jobs), it is evident that the sector is not so eager to add new positions.

Despite recent bumps on the road there is little doubt that health care will continue to add new openings in the future, with or without AAC. It will also remain one of the most attractive industries for young people entering the job market. Among top 100 jobs in 2017 –  ranking that was based on demand, salary, and future prospects – more than a half are in the healthcare sector. Supporting occupations in healthcare (nurses, technicians, assistants) as well as different medical specialists ranked high on the US New’s list. The ranking also included administrative positions within the healthcare industry. If you are interested in best destinations for medical secretaries, coders, billers, transcriptionists, and similar, you can check our previous article on Best States with Most Health Care Administration Jobs.

In creating the list of the best cities with the most healthcare jobs in 2017 we used as a source one of the largest job sites Indeed, which we accessed on June 11th. First, we determined which cities have the greatest number of healthcare jobs in each state. We took into account places which offer more than 1,000 positions. In some states there were no cities with more than 1,000 jobs so we decided to include cities offering the greatest number of openings. Then, we calculated the number of healthcare job posts per 10,000 residents in each city and ranked places accordingly. Other important criterion we used was cost of living, which we obtained from Sperling’s best places. Combining number of jobs per 10,000 and costs of living we created this list of best cities with the most healthcare jobs in 2017.

10. Winston-Salem, NC

Number of jobs per 10,000 residents: 47.38

Costs of living: 16% below national average

We start this ranking with Winston-Salem, a city of around 240,000 residents in North Carolina, which has been known as one of the centers of the tobacco industry. There are 1,143 available jobs in the healthcare sector in this city, which means that there are 47.38 positions per 10,000 residents. This is not as high as in some other places, but the costs of living are pretty low which is the reason why it found the place on this list. The majority of jobs is offered by Novant Health which serves more than four million people annually in 14 hospitals and many outpatients and physicians offices. The company received an average rating of 3.6 from Indeed users.

9. Columbia, SC

Number of jobs per 10,000 residents: 75.7

Costs of living: 9.2% below national average

There are 75.7 healthcare jobs per 10,000 residents in Columbia, South Carolina, the next one on the list of best cities with the most healthcare jobs in 2017. The city has a population of 133,000 and the greatest number of jobs is offered by Palmetto Health-USC Medical Group, which is the largest medical group in Midlands region. With more than 600 physicians, nurses and assistants, and 2,700 staff members it is 11th largest employer in the region. Last year it served one million patients.

8. Morgantown, WV

Number of jobs per 10,000 residents: 228.9

Costs of living: 4.5% below national average

With around 30,000 residents Morgantown is second smallest place on this list. There are 703 open healthcare positions in this town, more than half of which are offered by WVU Medicine, West Virginia largest healthcare provider. Note that the company has received a few very bad reviews from Indeed users, so those who are considering WVU as a future employer should seek additional information about WVU before applying for a job. Morgantown is a pretty affordable place where costs of living are below the national average, and a home median price is $170,000.

7. Springfield, MO

Number of jobs per 10,000 residents: 61.3

Costs of living: 15.7% above national average

We are continuing our list of best cities with the most healthcare jobs in 2017 with Springfield in Missouri that is a home to Mercy Hospital, which has a 120-year long tradition in the medical field and which has the greatest number of open healthcare positions. Another large employer in the Springfield is Cox Health, which includes five hospitals and employs 10,000 people. Springfield is one of the cheapest places on this list – costs of living are 16% below the national average, and it also boasts low unemployment rate.

6. Cincinnati, OH

Number of jobs per 10,000 residents: 66.3

Costs of living: 14.1% below national average

Available healthcare jobs in Cincinnati are equally distributed between Cincinnati children hospital, internationally renowned pediatric institution, Mercy health, which has 9,000 employees, and St Elizabeth Healthcare, one of the oldest and largest healthcare providers in Cincinnati. The city is second largest place on this list. As a melting point of two different cultures – industrial North and rural South, Cincinnati is an exciting place and one of the most popular tourist destinations. The major downside of living in Cincinnati is humid weather which is why it is not the best option for people with respiratory problems.

5. Pittsburgh, PA

Number of jobs per 10,000 residents: 78.1

Costs of living: 22% below national average

With 304,000, residents Pittsburgh is the largest place on this list of best cities with the most healthcare jobs in 2017. Besides affordability, Pittsburgh boasts low crime rates and it is considered to be one of the safest metro areas in the US. The greatest number of healthcare jobs in the city is offered by University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. UPMC is the largest non-government employer in Pennsylvania which employs 65,000 people and includes 25 hospitals, 600 physician offices and outpatient centers, as well as international ventures.

4. Marquette, MI

Number of jobs per 10,000 residents: 1,495

Costs of living: 6.4% below national average

After largest here comes the smallest place on this ranking. Marquette is a small town of 21,000 residents located in the center of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, offering more than 3,000 healthcare jobs. The city has the greatest number of positions per 10,000 residents. The largest employer is UP Health System, which plans to open “$300 million, 265-bed state-of-the-art hospital and medical office complex” next year. UPHS currently has one hospital in Marquette with more than 1,800 employees. Besides costs of living that are some 6% below the national average there are other things that attract new residents – beautiful nature, tranquility and great weather. Moreover, Marquette was ranked as the third best city in America to raise a family by Forbes.

3. St. Louis, MO

Number of jobs per 10,000 residents: 113.3

Costs of living: 14.8% below national average

From Michigan, we go to St Lois in Missouri, the number three on our list of best cities with the most healthcare jobs in 2017 which is a home to BJC Healthcare. With more than 31,000 employees and net revenue of $4.8 billion in 2016, BJC is one of the largest employers in Missouri. The organization has received numerous awards and it has been recognized as one of the best in the fields of pediatric and orthopedic medicine. It hires 61% of all physicians who were ranked as best doctors in 2015, and it boasts very high patients’ satisfaction. As an employer, BJC has also received high average rating among Indeed users.

2. Birmingham, AL

Number of jobs per 10,000 residents: 72.3

Costs of living: 27.4% below national average

The majority of healthcare jobs in Birmingham that ranks the second on our list of best cities with the most healthcare jobs in 2017 can be found in St Vincent’s Health System, faith-based organization which was founded 118 years ago, and UAB Medicine, which has received the best average rating from its workers on Indeed among here mentioned employers. St Vincent is the largest Catholic health organization in the world with more than 4,800 employees. On the other side, UAB Medicine is the second biggest employer in Alabama. Last year it took care of 360,000 outpatients and 41,000 inpatients. Those who are considering moving to Birmingham in search for healthcare employment opportunities should know that due to humid weather the city is one of the worst places for people with respiratory conditions. However, it is also the cheapest city on this list with costs of living 27.4% below the national average, which is the reason why it ranked so high.

1. Dayton, OH

Number of jobs per 10,000 residents: 119.77

Costs of living: 25.1% below national average

Dayton, a city of 140,000 residents in Southwestern Ohio, ranks as first on the list of best cities with the most healthcare jobs in 2017. This is also the second cheapest place on the list with costs of living 25% below the national average and a home median price of $50,700. Like previously mentioned Birmingham, Dayton is not the best destination for people with respiratory diseases. However, for those who do not mind humid weather the city is a great place to find a job in the healthcare sector. The biggest employer is Premier Health Partners, a medical network of five hospitals and two health centers, which employs 14,000 people. The organization has hundreds of open positions, but it also has one of the worst average ratings on Indeed (3.3), mainly because of bad reviews that employees have given to managers.