Pharmacy Technician Pay in the Great Lakes States

Pharmacy technician employment in the U.S. stood at over 415,000 per May 2020 data published earlier this year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). With over 69,000 pharmacy technicians employed, the five-state Great Lakes region accounted for about 16.6% of U.S. pharmacy technician employment. BLS data indicated that the region is a weak one for pharmacy technician pay, as no state in the region recorded a pharmacy technician annual mean wage level that exceeded the national average. Moreover, three states in the region ranked in the bottom third of all U.S. states for pharmacy technician annual mean wages.  From May 2020 BLS data, here is a summary look at pharmacy technician pay in the Great Lakes states:

Pharmacy Technician Pay in the Great Lakes States

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IL	19,880	$34,700	34th
IN	9,790	$34,200	38th
MI	13,990	$34,090	39th
OH	17,090	$32,520	45th
WI	8,290	$35,780	25th
U.S.	415,310	$36,450	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 18, 2021

Healthcare Social Worker Pay in the Great Plains Region

Earlier this year the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released May 2020 data indicating that there were over 176,000 healthcare social workers (HSWs) employed in the United States.  The seven-state Great Plains regions accounted for 15,000 of those healthcare social worker jobs.  BLS data reveals the region to be a rather poor one for healthcare social worker pay, as no Great Plains state registered a HSW annual mean wage level that topped the national average of $60,470. Moreover, three states in the region ranked among the ten worst states in the nation for HSW annual mean wages. BLS data from May 2020 reveals the following details about healthcare social worker pay in the Great Plains region:

Healthcare Social Worker Pay in the Great Plains Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IA	1,220	$53,850	38th
KS	1,600	$57,550	26th
MN	4,340	$57,960	21st
MO	6,090	$49,050	48th
NE	780	$50,550	46th
ND	400	$56,100	34th
SD	570	$45,430	51st
U.S.	176,110	$60,470	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 17, 2021

The Great Plains Region's Dental Care Shortage

According to December 31, 2021, data from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), over 64.2 million Americans lived in areas or settings designated as a dental health professional shortage area (HPSA).  A dental health HPSA is a geographic area, population group, or facility where access to dental care is substandard because it lacks a sufficient number of dentists relative to the size of the HPSA population.  HPSAs in the seven-state Great Plains region accounted for about 5.8% of the U.S. population who lived in dental care shortage areas.  The HRSA estimates that HPSAs in the Great Plains states would need 698 more dentists in order to eliminate the dental care shortage in the region.  This shortfall represented about 6.2% of the national dental care shortage.  Here is a summary look at the Great Plains region's dental care shortage:

The Great Plains Region's Dental Care Shortage

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortage
IA	132	380,841	64
KS	177	590,331	82
MN	179	794,540	145
MO	319	1,675,973	365
NE	76	1,664	0
ND	65	121,871	11
SD	71	155,151	31
Region	1,019	3,720,371	698
U.S.	6,803	64,236,250	11,181

(1) Designated Geographic, Population Group and Facility HPSAs with a dental care shortage

(2) Population of designated HPSAs

(3) Dental Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 12/31/21 (HRSA)

New England's Mental Health Care Shortage

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) designates a geographic area, population group or facility where access to mental health care providers is substandard as a health professional shortage area (HPSA) for mental health care services. This designation can be based on the size of the HPSA's population relative to either (a) the number of psychiatrists, or (b) the combined number of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers and certain other types of mental health care providers that serve the community. Most mental health care shortage designations are currently based on an HPSA's population relative to the number of psychiatrists serving the community.

As of December 31, 2021, mental health care HPSAs in the six-state New England region accounted for about 1.6% of the U.S. population who lived in mental health care shortage areas, and about 1.8% of the overall national shortage of mental health care providers.  To eliminate the shortage, the HRSA estimates that New England HPSAs would need 122 additional mental health care providers.  A further review of HRSA data reveals the following about New England's mental health care shortage:

New England's Mental Health Care Shortage

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortage
CT	38	1,110,816	62
ME	65	326,422	28
MA	57	310,639	19
NH	22	93,150	3
RI	12	395,297	10
VT	11	N/A	N/A
Region	205	2,236,324	122
U.S.	6,078	136,575,592	6,851

(1) Designated Geographic, Population Group and Facility HPSAs with a mental health care shortage

(2) Population of designated HPSAs

(3) Mental Health Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 12/31/21 (HRSA)

National Cancer Institute, Our Trusted Link for December 2021

 

National Cancer Institute

Since 1937, the National Cancer Institute has been the national leader in conducting cancer research, as well as training healthcare workers to diagnose and treat cancer.  Cancer was the first non-communicable disease for which research and treatment was funded by the U.S. government.  Now part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has the largest budget and research program within NIH: over $6 billion, with over 40% dedicated to research project grants. NCI supports and performs research on the causes, genomics, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.  Milestones include 1940: First issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (now independent of NCI) 1955: NCI created the Clinical Trials Cooperative Group Program 1957: The first cancer, choriocarcinoma, was cured with chemotherapy at NCI 1960: NCI began funding government-supported cancer centers. 1971: The National Cancer Act of 1971 declares "war on cancer," creates the National Cancer Advisory Board, increases funding  1973: SEER program established to collect U.S. cancer statistics 1976: Cancer Information Service launched (800-4-CANCER)  1996: Office of Cancer Survivorship established 2016: Genomic Data Commons begins making cancer genomics data available to all researchers Moonshot: Launched by the Obama Administration, the National Cancer Moonshot is a $1 billion initiative to accelerate the development of new cancer detection and treatments.  History Project: Created to mark the 50th anniversary of the National Cancer Act of 1971, the Cancer History Project is a free historical resource.  The Most Active NCI Blogs Cancer Currents Cancer Prevention Science Cancer Data Science Pulse CGH Spotlight (from Center for Global Health) NCI Bottom Line (grants and training) Newsletters  CCR Milestones from Center for Cancer Research Global Health Activities from Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences DCEG Linkage from Division of Cancer Genetics and Epidemiology DCTD Pipeline News from Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis EGRP Cancer Epidemiology News Office of Cancer Genomics E-Newsletter Scientific News from NCI’s Behavioral Research Program Social Media at NCI YouTube Facebook LinkedIn Twitter for NCI Behavior Science Twitter for NCI Cancer Control Twitter for NCI's Health Information National Trends Survey

"NCI at a Glance" Infographic

Nurse Practitioner Pay in the Mid-Eastern U.S.

Data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put the number of nurse practitioners (NPs) working in the United States at more than 211,000 as of May 2020.  More than 33,700 of the nation's nurse practitioner jobs at that time were in the Mid-Eastern region, an area which includes five states and the District of Columbia.  The Mid-Eastern U.S. was one of the best regions of the country for nurse practitioner pay.  More than 73% of nurse practitioners employed in the Mid-Eastern region lived in a state where the NP annual mean wage exceeded the national average of $114,510. Moreover, over 60% of employed NPs in the region lived in New York or New Jersey, two states that ranked among the five best states in the country for nurse practitioner annual mean wages. A closer examination of BLS employment data from May 2020 shows the following about nurse practitioner pay in the Mid-Eastern U.S.:

Nurse Practitioner Pay in the Mid-Eastern U.S.

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
DC	860	$116,150	16th
DE	740	$112,230	24th
MD	3,320	$115,240	17th
NJ	5,800	$130,890	2nd
NY	14,850	$126,440	4th
PA	8,150	$111,560	28th
U.S.	211,280	$114,510	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 17, 2021

Dental Hygienist Pay in New England

Data released earlier this year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported nearly 195,000 dental hygienists at work in the United States as of May 2020.  More than 12,000 dental hygienists were employed in the six-state New England region according to the BLS.  The region is a generally good one for dental hygienist pay, with over 80% of the region's practitioners living in a state with a dental hygienist annual mean wage level that was above the national average.  A deeper dive into May 2020 BLS data reveals the following details about dental hygienist pay in New England:

Dental Hygienist Pay in New England

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
CT	3,070	$85,610	12th
MA	5,420	$84,850	13th
ME	890	$68,110	40th
NH	1,420	$82,150	16th
RI	730	$75,980	24th
VT	520	$74,010	27th
U.S.	194,830	$78,050	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 17, 2021

The Great Lakes Region's Primary Care Shortage

As designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a primary care health professional shortage area (HPSA) is a geographic area, population group, or facility that has poor access to primary care services because it lacks a sufficient number of primary care providers, including Doctors of Medicine (MD) or Doctors of Osteopathy (DO) who provide services as general or family practitioners, general internal medicine physicians, pediatricians, obstetricians and gynecologists.  As of December 31, 2021, primary care HPSAs in the five-state Great Lakes region accounted for just over 13.4% of the U.S. population who lived in primary care shortage areas, and about 11% of the nation's overall shortage of primary care providers.  To eliminate the shortage, the HRSA estimated that Great Lakes region HPSAs would need 1,680 additional primary care providers.  A further study of HRSA data reveals the following about the Great Lakes region's primary care shortage:

The Great Lakes Region's Primary Care Shortage

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortage
IL	269	3,489,109	567
IN	117	2,119,334	194
MI	276	2,985,151	489
OH	167	1,918,631	298
WI	118	1,136,187	132
Region	947	11,648,412	1,680
U.S.	7,613	86,473,101	15,184

(1) Designated Geographic, Population Group and Facility HPSAs with a primary care shortage

(2) Population of designated HPSAs

(3) Primary Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 12/31/21 (HRSA)

Nursing Assistant Pay in the Rocky Mountain Region

Over 1,371,000 nursing assistants were employed as of May 2020 in the United States according to data released earlier this year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  More than 47,800 of the nation's nursing assistants were employed in the five-state Rocky Mountain region of the country.  A further examination of May 2020 BLS data provides the following details about nursing assistant pay in the Rocky Mountain region:

Nursing Assistant Pay in the Rocky Mountain Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
CO	21,310	$34,470	13th
ID	6,600	$29,370	36th
MT	5,110	$31,720	26th
UT	12,050	$30,240	32nd
WY	2,810	$33,160	19th
U.S.	1,371,050	$32,050	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 15, 2021

Medical Assistant Pay in the Southeastern U.S.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released earlier this year put the number of medical assistants (MA) at work in the United States at over 710,000 as of May 2020. Per BLS data, approximately 182,000 medical assistant jobs were in the twelve-state Southeastern region of the country. In general, the Southeastern U.S. was the worst in the nation for medical assistant pay, with six states in the region ranked among the ten states in the country with the lowest annual mean wage level for medical assistants. Moreover, as of May 2020, no state in the region recorded a medical assistant annual mean wage level that was above the national average.  A closer examination of BLS data reveals the following details about medical assistant pay in the Southeastern U.S. as of May 2020:

Medical Assistant Pay in the Southeastern U.S

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AL	9,380	$29,950	50th
AR	3,580	$31,530	47th
FL	56,010	$34,800	31st
GA	25,820	$34,250	37th
KY	10,110	$33,450	41st
LA	8,060	$31,110	48th
MS	3,670	$30,550	49th
NC	20,240	$34,540	35th
SC	11,840	$33,010	42nd
TN	15,900	$33,990	38th
VA	14,330	$36,730	24th
WV	3,280	$29,820	51st
U.S.	710,200	$36,930	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 15, 2021

Family Medicine Physician Pay in the Southwest

Information published earlier this year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put the number of employed family medicine physicians in the U.S. at more than 98,000 as of May 2020.  The four-state Southwest U.S. accounted for about 13,000 of the country's employed family medicine physicians.  BLS data reveals the region to be a slightly better than average one for family physician pay.  Although New Mexico ranked among the ten worst states in the nation for family medicine physician annual mean wages, well over 90% of the region's practitioners lived in states where the family medicine physician annual mean wage level was at, or above, the nation average. A closer review of May 2020 BLS data details the following about family medicine physician pay in the Southwest:

Family Medicine Physician Pay in the Southwest

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AZ	2,960	$218,920	23rd
NM	560	$194,260	44th
OK	1,680	$214,130	30th
TX	8,010	$220,390	19th
U.S.	98,590	$214,370	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 12, 2021

General Dentist Pay in Far Western U.S. States

About 96,000 general dentists were employed in the U.S. as of May 2020 according to data recently published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  Just over 18,000 general dentists were working in the six-state Far Western region of the country.  For general dentists, the region is a mixed bag in terms of pay relative to the national average.  About 2/3rds of the Far West's general dentists live in California, which ranked in the bottom quartile of states for general dentist annual mean wages.  However, the remaining states in the region all recorded general dentist annual mean wage levels above the national average and two states, Alaska and Oregon, ranked among the ten best states in the nation for general dentist pay. An examination of BLS data from May 2020 reveals the following details about general dentist pay in Far Western U.S. states:

General Dentist Pay in Far Western U.S. States

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AK	220	$242,850	3rd
CA	12,040	$160,300	41st
HI	660	$202,890	14th
NV	720	$203,450	13th
OR	1,500	$215,750	7th
WA	2,910	$187,520	21st
U.S.	95,920	$180,830	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 12, 2021

EMT and Paramedic Pay in the Great Lakes States

Data made available earlier this year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed that over 257,000 EMTs (emergency medical technicians) and paramedics were employed in the United States as of May 2020. The five Great Lakes states accounted for over 40,000 of those EMT and paramedic jobs. Other than in Illinois, which ranked among the ten best states in the nation for EMT and paramedic annual mean wages, the Great Lakes region is a generally weak one for EMT and paramedic pay.  The other four states in the region, which accounted for more than two-thirds of region's EMT and paramedic employment, all recorded an annual mean wage level for EMTs and paramedics that was below the national average. Moreover, two of those states ranked among the ten worst states in the country for EMT and paramedic annual mean wages. Further examination of May 2020 BLS data revealed the following about EMT and paramedic pay in the Great Lakes states:

EMT and Paramedic Pay in the Great Lakes States

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IL	12,410	$48,040	6th
IN	6,330	$36,360	36th
MI	6,880	$34,410	44th
OH	9,150	$34,680	42nd
WI	5,670	$36,790	32nd
U.S.	257,700	$40,370	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 10, 2021

Registered Nurse Pay in the Great Plains States

Data released earlier this year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicated that, as of May 2020, there were over 2,986,000 registered nurses (RNs) employed in the country.  More than 251,000 of those RN jobs were in the seven Great Plains states.  BLS data revealed the Great Plains as one of the weakest regions of the country for registered nurse pay.  Only one state in the region, Minnesota, recorded an RN annual mean wage level that was above the national average, and it was home to only 28% of the region's employed registered nurses. Meanwhile, about 58% of the region's RNs lived in one of four Great Plains states that ranked among the ten states in the country with the lowest annual mean wage levels for registered nurses. Closer examination of BLS data from May 2020 reveals the following details about registered nurse pay in the Great Plains states:

Registered Nurse Pay in the Great Plains States

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IA	32,610	$62,570	48th
KS	29,430	$64,200	45th
MN	70,820	$80,960	14th
MO	71,560	$65,900	42nd
NE	24,060	$69,480	36th
ND	9,970	$69,630	34th
SD	13,130	$60,960	50th
U.S.	2,986,500	$80,010	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 5, 2021

Physical Therapist Pay in the Mid-Eastern U.S.

The most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data on physical therapist (PT) employment put the number of employed PTs in the U.S. at nearly 221,000 as of May 2020.  The Mid-Eastern U.S. region, which encompasses five states and the District of Columbia, accounted for over 39,000 of those physical therapist jobs according to BLS data.  The Mid-Eastern U.S. was a relatively good one for physical therapist pay, with four states in the region ranked among the twelve best states in the nation for physical therapist annual mean wages.  Those four states were home to about 63% of the region's employed PTs.  A deeper examination of BLS data from May 2020 reveals the following about physical therapist pay in the Mid-Eastern U.S.:

Physical Therapist Pay in the Mid-Eastern U.S.

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
DC	560	$96,090	9th
DE	930	$97,260	7th
MD	3,990	$89,650	25th
NJ	6,960	$100,740	4th
NY	16,150	$92,860	12th
PA	10,670	$90,890	20th
U.S.	220,870	$91,680	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 2, 2021

Pharmacist Pay in New England

Recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed that there were more than 315,000 pharmacists employed in the United States as of May 2020.  Over 15,400 employed pharmacists lived in the six-state New England region.  Although Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire ranked about the eleven best states in the nation for pharmacist annual mean wages, the region was not a particularly good one for pharmacist pay, as nearly 80% of the region's pharmacists lived in states where the annual mean wage was below the national average.  A deeper dive into BLS data from May 2020 reveals the following about pharmacist pay in New England:

Pharmacist Pay in New England

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
CT	3,420	$124,820	19th
MA	7,560	$121,450	32nd
ME	1,320	$134,100	4th
NH	1,300	$127,990	11th
RI	1,340	$115,050	50th
VT	530	$131,910	5th
U.S.	315,470	$125,460	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 2, 2021

Licensed Practical Nurse Pay in the Rocky Mountain Region

May 2020 employment data published recently by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that there were more than 676,000 licensed practical nurses (LPNs) employed in the United States.  Known as licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) in some parts of the country, LPNs make up one of the largest healthcare occupations in the U.S.  Approximately 11,600 of those LPN jobs were in the five-state Rocky Mountain region of the country. Except in Colorado, which ranked among the top 15 states nationally for LPN annual mean wages, licensed practical nurses in the region were likely to earn less than the national average annual mean wage for LPNs.  A closer review of BLS data from May 2020 reveals the following details about licensed practical nurse pay in the Rocky Mountain region:

Licensed Practical Nurse Pay in the Rocky Mountain Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
CO	4,960	$54,310	15th
ID	2,520	$48,640	25th
MT	1,850	$46,010	36th
UT	1,860	$47,550	31st
WY	440	$48,980	24th
U.S.	676,440	$50,090	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on April 26, 2021