Where to call home as a travel nurse
Many travel nurses gravitate to the excitement of new places and the thrill of exploration. But in most cases, you will call your assignment home for at least a short while. You may even decide it would make a good area to put down roots permanently. Cities across the United States vary greatly and have numerous things to offer and it makes sense to consider at least a few aspects before your next assignment.
The “U.S. News & World Report’s inaugural Best Places to Live” rankings could help you make a more informed decision about your next travel nurse assignment. The research included in the rankings is evaluated using data from several respected sources, including, United States Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Labor, and U.S. News’ own internal resources.
The 100 most populous metro areas were recently analyzed to find the best places to live. To make the top of the list, a location had to have good value, be a desirable place to live, have a strong job market, and offer a high quality of life.
For example, to calculate “quality of life” the study looked at Crime Rates, Quality and Availability of Health Care, Quality of Education, Well-being, and a Commuter Index. The weight of importance each factor received was based on a survey of people and their preferences. Keep in mind that your preferences might differ. As you evaluate a location, be sure to consider the climate, distance from your support network, i.e., family and friends, as well as your preference for the density of population—do you prefer the hustle and bustle of a city or the quietness of the suburbs? Cities across the nation have a number of enticing features to offer. Here are highlights from the 2016 U.S. News Best Places to Live Rankings list—Top 10:
1. Denver, CO
Population: 2,651,392
Quality of life: 6.9
Overall value: 7.4
2. Austin, TX
Population: 1,835,016
Median annual salary: $48,150
Overall value: 6.5
3. Fayetteville, AR
Population: 483,396
Quality of life: 7.4
Overall value: 9.1
4. Raleigh-Durham, NC
Population: 1,714,629
Quality of life: 7.4
Overall value: 6.9
5. Colorado Springs, CO
Population: 669,070
Quality of life: 6.5
Overall value: 7.6
6. Boise, ID
Population: 639,616
Quality of life: 7.5
Overall value: 7.5
7. Seattle, WA
Population: 3,557,037
Quality of life: 6.3
Overall value: 6.0
8. Washington, DC
Population: 5,863,608
Quality of life: 6.5
Overall value: 7.3
9. San Francisco, CA
Population: 4,466,251
Quality of life: 6.6
Overall value: 5.3
10. San Jose, CA
Population: 1,898,457
Quality of life: 7.7
Overall value: 5.9
For the full results of the 100 Best Places to Live as well as the complete methodology for this study, please click here.
