Florida is slowly climbing in WalletHub’s annual ranking of states with the best and worst healthcare systems. In 2025 and 2024, the Sunshine State ranked in the bottom 10, but it ranks slightly higher this year.
“Healthcare has two crucial components: cost and quality. The best healthcare in the nation isn’t helpful if it bankrupts the people who try to get it, and cheap healthcare isn’t worth paying for if it provides subpar or ineffective treatment,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the 2026 study.
“Therefore, the best states for healthcare are those that make high-quality care affordable, on top of providing many options for doctors and making insurance easily accessible.”
Here’s where Florida ranked in WalletHub’s 2026 rankings of the states with the best and worst healthcare systems and why.
Which states rank highest in healthcare?
To find the states with the best and worst healthcare systems in 2026, WalletHub compared each state across 44 metrics in three categories: cost, access and outcomes.
For the second year in a row, New Hampshire ranked as the state with the best healthcare system in the U.S., due to its low costs, high accessibility and the overall health of its residents. According to the study, New Hampshire has the second-lowest out-of-pocket medical spending in the country and the lowest average monthly health insurance premium, at around $469.
“People with immediate but less dire issues can also benefit from the fact that New Hampshire has the most urgent care centers per capita that are certified by the Urgent Care Association of America,” the study says.
“New Hampshire stands out for its strong overall health profile, it has the fourth-lowest share of residents with heart attacks. It also has the lowest prevalence of strokes and the fourth-lowest prevalence of type-2 diabetes in the country.”
WalletHub’s 2026 ranking of the top 10 states with the best healthcare
Which states rank lowest in healthcare?
Although Florida spent the last two years in the bottom 10 of this list, the 2026 list placed it higher. This year, Florida ranks as the state with the 36th best (also 16th worst) healthcare in the U.S.
Alaska took last place on the 2026 list, and Mississippi, which took last place in 2025, came second-to-last on this year’s list.
2026 ranking of the 20 states with the worst healthcare
Where does Florida rank in healthcare?
Florida took 36th place in WalletHub’s 2026 ranking, six places higher than in the 2025 rankings. Florida’s rankings significantly improved in two key metrics: physicians per capita and dentists per capita. This year, Florida also placed as the state with the fourth-highest percentage of medical residents retained.
Here’s how Florida performed in some of the key metrics for the study in 2026:
Here’s how Florida performed in the same metrics for the study in 2025:
Lianna Norman is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, lotteries, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: States with the best, worst healthcare. Here’s where Florida ranks
Reporting by Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Today
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By Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
