The 23-24 U.S. News & World Report hospital survey ranked more than 1,000 hospitals for their capabilities in delivering rehabilitation services to patients recovering from severe illnesses or injuries.  The survey ranked hospitals on various metrics related to the outcomes for their rehabilitation patients, the scale of their rehabilitation services, and the level of recognition garnered by a hospital from professionals within the rehabilitation care community.  Eight hospitals in the six-state Far West U.S. were rated among the top 50 U.S. hospitals for rehabilitation care in the 23-24 survey, including the University of Washington Medical Center, which was rated the eighth-best rehabilitation hospital in the nation.  The top rehabilitation hospitals in the Far West, and where they ranked nationally in the 23-24 U.S. News survey, were:

Top Rehabilitation Hospitals in the Far West

University of Washington Medical Center

Location:  Seattle, WA
National Rank:  #8 (See ranking details)

California Rehabilitation Institute
Location:  Los Angeles
National Rank:  #21 (see ranking details)

Harborview Medical Center
Location:  Seattle, WA
National Rank:  #26 (See ranking details)

Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center

Location:  Downey, CA
National Rank:  #38 (See ranking details)

Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center

Location:  Portland, OR
National Rank:  #40 (See ranking details)

Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center

Location:  Vallejo, CA
National Rank:  #43 (See ranking details)

Keck Medical Center of USC
Location:  Los Angeles

National Rank:  #49 (see ranking details)

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

Location:  San Jose, CA
National Rank:  #50 (See ranking details)

For a more thorough look at the metrics used to score rehabilitation hospitals in the 23-24 U.S. News survey, or to find the rehabilitation care rating of other Far West hospitals, visit Best Hospitals for Rehabilitation.

Recently published employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that, as of May 2022, there were more than 632,000 licensed practical nurses (LPNs) employed in the United States.  Also known as licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) in some parts of the country, licensed practical nurses make up one of the largest healthcare occupations in the U.S.  According to BLS data, approximately 83,900 of those licensed practical nursing jobs were in the five-state Great Lakes region of the country. A closer examination of BLS data from May 2022 reveals the following details about licensed practical nurse pay in the Great Lakes region of the U.S.:

Licensed Practical Nurse Pay in the Great Lakes Region

State	# Employed	Mean Annual Wage	Wage Rank*
IL	17,530	$58,840	16th
IN	11,990	$55,850	21st
MI	10,460	$57,180	19th
OH	37,310	$52,330	36th
WI	6,620	$52,610	34th
U.S.	632,020	$55,860	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on September 20, 2023