Industry
Nurse.org Ranks California Highest for Nursing Shortage Severity
Nurse.org's Nursing Workforce Benchmark, published Nov. 3, ranks 30 states by nurse shortage severity using hospital staffing vacancy data, state or peer-reviewed workforce studies, and federal HRSA shortage designations. California scored highest for shortage severity despite having mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios and the nation's largest nursing workforce, while Hawaii scored lowest. Twenty states lacked sufficient public data and were excluded from the ranking, and each state received a confidence tier reflecting the strength of its underlying data sources. The report does not describe any new policy action but provides a comparative snapshot of workforce strain across states.
Why it mattersState Medicaid agencies and managed care plans in high-scoring states face compounding network adequacy and access-to-care pressure as nursing shortages strain hospitals and long-term care facilities that serve Medicaid beneficiaries.