The Top 5 Cities for Healthcare Jobs in 2022
While the whole country faces a healthcare shortage, some cities have higher demand and more opportunities for clinicians than others. However, those cities are constantly changing because of retirement trends, market pressure, and the influx of new graduates.
Whether you want a bigger paycheck, lower cost of living, more room for career advancement, or better work-life balance, it’s a job seeker’s market and ripe with opportunities to find your dream job. Here are the five best places to look for a healthcare job in 2022.
Houston, Texas
Everything is bigger in Texas, including healthcare. Houston offers healthcare workers some of the best medical centers in the country, most famously the world’s largest research group and healthcare organization, Texas Medical Center, with over 106,000 employees. This health system has 49 member institutions actively improving patient care, education, research, and preventative care.
Houston’s cutting-edge technology and research also translates to plenty of job opportunities. Texas’ enormous population growth has been the largest in the country over the past two years, with almost 30 million people streaming into the state. The growing population needs additional healthcare providers, making it an ideal place to start or advance your career in medicine.
Los Angeles, California
With temperate weather, plenty of entertainment, and many job opportunities, Los Angeles is an attractive city for work-life balance. California, in general, has one of the highest demands for healthcare workers of any state, but Los Angeles is hit particularly hard by the healthcare shortage. In fact, 33% of people that reside there live in a health professional shortage area. But it can also offer the opportunity to make more money. For example, Registered Nurses earn an average salary of $116,110 in L.A., which is 40% above the national average.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia has a long history of prioritizing the healthcare industry and was even the site of the first medical school in 1749. Today, the city has no shortage of innovative healthcare companies that are based there. From big-name pharmaceutical companies (such as GlaxoSmith Kline, Wyeth, Merck, and Johnson & Johnson) to the headquarters of the American College of Physicians, Society of Hospital Medicine, and American Medical Women’s Association, as well as the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, one of the oldest hospitals in the country and the #4 largest in the state, Philadelphia has a lot to offer those working in healthcare.
Jacksonville, Florida
Florida has always had an increased need for healthcare because of its large retirement community. But shortages are getting worse: experts estimate the Sunshine State will have a lack of almost 18,000 doctors by 2035.
Jacksonville has the top-ranked hospital in Florida, Mayo Clinic-Jacksonville, and Baptist Medical Center, which has one of the top Pediatric Neurology departments in the nation. Their impressive healthcare facilities make it an ideal location if you want to be working with top-of-the-line resources and technology. Plus, Jacksonville has a lower cost of living than the rest of Florida, so your salary will go further there.