Houston ranked best city for registered nurses

Houston is the best metropolitan area for registered nurses, according to a new analysis.

The report, conducted by tech startup SpareFoot and Indeed.com, based its rankings on number of job listings, average salary and housing affordability listed in 2013 U.S. Census Bureau data. Texas was the best-represented state, making up a full 40 percent of the top 10, followed by California, with both San Francisco and Los Angeles making the list (albeit not in the top five).

Based on those criteria, they determined the top five cities for nurses are:

  1. Houston, with 14.6 percent of the top 10 cities' job openings, an average annual salary of $78,00, a median home price of $141,000 and median annual rent of $10,278
  2. Tulsa, Oklahoma, with an 11.4 percent share of the top 10, an average annual salary of $62,000, a median home price of $127,800 and median annual rent of $8,820
  3. Dallas, with an 8.3 percent share, an average annual salary of $71,000, a median home price of $150,000 and median annual rent of $10,848
  4. Seattle, with a 94 percent share of the top 10, an average annual salary of $74,000, median home price of $321,500 and median annual rent of $13,200
  5. San Antonio, with a 7.9 percent share of the top 10, a $62,000 annual salary, a $131,100 median home price and median annual rent of $10,092

The fact that the major cities in Texas and Washington are among the best for nurses supports findings from WalletHub published earlier this year. That analysis found Washington is the number one overall state for nurses, followed by Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Texas, FierceHealthcare previously reported. Those rankings, however, were based on significantly more metrics, including projected percentage of residents 65 and older.

To learn more:
- read the rankings