Rural vs metro healthcare openings by state, CareJobs.Now, read 22 Oct 2026.
Source: open job postings on the career sites of about 1,700 US hospitals, health systems and care employers, read nightly by CareJobs.Now (https://carejobs.now); postings dated within the last 45 days.
Rural = non-metro: counties outside any metropolitan statistical area in the OMB delineation of July 2023 (micropolitan counties and counties outside any core-based statistical area). A posting's town is placed in the county most of its people live in (Census). Postings whose town could not be placed (remote, multi-site, unclear) are left out.
Listings: a job open in several towns counts once per town. Staff RN: registered nurse postings excluding LPN/LVN, leadership, educators, travel, per diem and contract roles; staffing agencies excluded. Pay as posted: midpoint of the stated range; yearly rates divided by 2,080; hourly values outside $20-$200 dropped. Medians shown only where at least 15 postings state pay (metro: at least 10).
Caveats: rural samples are small and come from a few employers per state; employers whose career sites CareJobs.Now does not read are missing.
License: CC BY 4.0, credit CareJobs.Now.