The States Hit Hardest by Hospital Staffing Crisis – Michigan Ranks Ninth

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Article courtesy of Assured. 

• Michigan ranks ninth overall, with 19.32 of hospital reports flagging staffing shortages between 2022-2024
• Rhode Island tops the nation with 63.76% of hospital reports flagging staffing shortages between 2022-2024
• West Virginia records nation’s highest concentration of healthcare workers at 89.74 per 1,000 jobs yet still faces shortages

Rhode Island hospitals face America’s worst staffing crisis, with nearly two out of three reports showing critical personnel shortages.

A new study by Assured, which provides network management and credentialing services, examined Department of Health and Human Services data spanning 2022 to 2024 to pinpoint which states struggle most with hospital staffing.

Michigan Specific

Michigan placed ninth with 19.32% of reports indicating critical staffing shortages. The state pays staff an average of $47.89 an hour equating to $99,600.00 per year.

The state logged the second-highest total number of shortage reports at 23,838, highlighting the massive scale of its healthcare staffing problems.

Rhode Island hospitals filed reports showing a shortage of staff 63.76% of the time. The state is one of the smallest in the U.S. but the study shows it has the second-highest number of healthcare workers at 70.45 per 1,000 jobs. 

Minnesota hospitals recorded the second-worst staffing situation nationwide. Their reports flagged critical issues 40.45% of the time despite their healthcare workers being some of the highest paid in America, with average annual wages reaching $116,320.

Vermont grabbed the third spot with 39.94% of hospital reports highlighting staffing shortages. The state logged 2,581 shortage reports during the two-year period examined.

South Carolina hospitals filed the fourth-highest percentage of staffing shortage reports at 38.48%. The state recorded 14,525 instances of critical staffing problems between 2022 and 2024, showing major difficulties meeting healthcare demands.

Maryland rounded out the top five with 33.76% of hospital reports signaling staffing problems. Healthcare workers in Maryland earn well above the national average with annual wages of $113,660, yet shortages persist across the state.

New Hampshire ranked sixth with 25.10% of reports showing critical staffing shortages. The state has a high concentration of healthcare practitioners at 67.57 per 1,000 jobs, despite its small population.

Delaware secured seventh place with 21.05% of reports indicating shortages. Healthcare practitioners in the state earn an average of $108,220 yearly.

Georgia hospitals reported staffing shortages in 20.81% of filings, landing eighth place nationally. The state recorded 12,141 reports of staffing shortages, revealing substantial challenges.

Michigan placed ninth with 19.32% of reports indicating critical staffing shortages. The state logged the second-highest total number of shortage reports at 23,838, highlighting the massive scale of its healthcare staffing problems.

Virginia completed the top ten with 17.35% of hospital reports flagging critical staffing shortages. Virginia healthcare practitioners earn average annual wages of $101,570.

States with the highest percentage of hospital reports indicating critical staffing shortages (2022-2024)

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Utah reported just 0.30% of staffing shortages. Of the 18,638 reports filed between 2022 and 2024, only 56 indicated shortages.

Nevada claimed the second-lowest percentage of staffing shortage reports at 0.35%, recording just 10 reports of critical staffing issues out of 2,878 total reports.

South Dakota ranked third from the bottom with just 1.15% of reports indicating staffing shortages. 

Rahul Shivkumar, Director and Co-founder of Assured, said:

“The statistics show the issues facing hospital staffing across the United States, with some states having far more severe shortages than others. What’s particularly notable is that states with higher healthcare wages don’t necessarily report fewer staffing shortages, suggesting that pay alone isn’t solving this crisis.

“Staff shortages in healthcare settings put a lot of pressure on the remaining workforce, potentially affecting quality of care for patients and leading to burnout among staff. States like Rhode Island, with nearly two-thirds of reports indicating critical shortages, face particular challenges which can have a severe impact on patient care.

“Also worth noting is that some states with high concentrations of healthcare workers, such as West Virginia, still report significant staffing shortages. Despite having a large number of workers in the sector, the data doesn’t reveal exactly what these staff work as. This means that distribution and allocation of healthcare workers may be as important as the overall number of qualified professionals and should be a factor states look at in order to combat these shortages.”

Methodology:

This study analyzes data from healthdata.gov on Average Number of Critical Staffing Shortage Reports (by State) to determine which states have the highest percentage of reports indicating critical staffing shortages. Additionally, the study incorporates data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on employment rates and wages for people employed in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations.

Sources:

healthdata.gov – https://healthdata.gov/Hospital/Average-Number-of-Critical-Staffing-Shortage-Repor/aa98-9v4v (Data from 2022-01-01 to 2024-04-27)

Bureau of Labor Statistics – https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm (May 2024)

Percentage of hospital reports indicating critical staffing shortages (2022-2024)