Surgeon pay in the cities with the worst healthcare

Columbus, Ga., was found to be the city with the worst overall healthcare services according to personal finance website WalletHub, and mid-career surgeons in the area earn an average annual salary of $371,418.

The "Healthiest and Unhealthiest Cities in America" list for 2024 ranked 182 of the U.S.' most populated cities, including at least two of the most populated cities in each state, across four categories — healthcare, food, fitness and green space — and also awarded the cities an overall score based on all four areas. The full methodology can be found here.

Here are the the 10 cities found to have the worst healthcare, starting with the lowest-ranked city, along with the average annual salary of surgeons with eight to 14 years of experience in each area, using data from Medscape's Physician Salary Explorer, accessed April 26:

1. Columbus, Ga. ($371,418)
2. Laredo, Texas ($354,347)
3. Brownsville, Texas ($354,347)
4. Detroit ($322,179)
5. Memphis, Tenn. ($362,987)
6. San Bernardino, Calif. ($352,691)
7. Huntington, W.Va. ($344,614)
8. Gulfport, Miss. ($397,027)
9. Corpus Christi, Texas ($354,347)
10. North Las Vegas, Nev. ($371,459)