From chief executives to front-line supervisors, health services managers are an important element in the operational effectiveness of a wide variety of healthcare businesses. Health services managers play key operating roles in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, physicians' offices, ambulatory care centers, home healthcare providers, and many other types of healthcare businesses. Data released earlier this year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put the number of health service management jobs in the United States at about 476,750 as of May 2022.  Just over 32,800 health services managers were employed in the seven-state Great Plains region.  For the most part, the region was a weak one for health services management pay.  About 95% of the region's health services managers were employed in states where the median annual wage level for health service management professionals was below the national average.  A closer review of May 2022 BLS data shows the following about health services management pay in the Great Plains region:

Health Services Management Pay in the Great Plains Region

State	# Employed	Median Annual Wage	Mean Annual Wage
IA	5,900	$95,380	$107,750
KS	4,690	$96,280	$105,660
MN	9,630	$102,560	$117,480
MO	7,180	$100,100	$111,970
NE	3,860	$99,220	$113,110
ND	590	$106,210	$129,920
SD	960	$104,940	$118,840
U.S.	476,750	$104,830	$127,980

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on August 13, 2023