NAICS 62

Healthcare and Social Assistance Industry: 2026 Market Survival & Risk Analysis

Ambulatory health care, hospitals, nursing facilities, social assistance

Healthcare and Social Assistance: 2,024,561 Establishments Nationwide

2,024,561
Total Establishments
22,217,641
Total Employment
$64,278
Average Annual Wage
40.5
Average Entry Risk Score

What Drives Healthcare and Social Assistance Risk

Healthcare demand follows demographics, not economic cycles. An aging population and expanding insurance coverage keep this sector growing even during recessions. Regulation varies sharply by state: licensure requirements, Medicaid expansion, certificate-of-need laws, and reimbursement rates all shape entry conditions. With over 2 million establishments, this is the most fragmented of our tracked sectors.

Healthcare and Social Assistance vs. All-Industry Average

How this sector compares to the average across all ten tracked industries.

Avg Entry Risk
40.5 This sector
43.1 All sectors
Avg Annual Wage
$64,278 This sector
$73,293 All sectors
Total Employment
22.2M This sector
9.6M Avg per sector

State Leaderboards for Healthcare and Social Assistance

Lowest Entry Risk

Best overall market conditions

  1. Utah 22.9
  2. Nebraska 23.7
  3. North Dakota 26.2
  4. Iowa 26.7
  5. District of Columbia 27.9

Highest Entry Risk

Most competitive markets

  1. Missouri 55.6
  2. Oregon 55.6
  3. California 54.6
  4. Kentucky 54.4
  5. New Mexico 53.1

Best for Firm Retention

Highest 5-year firm survival rates

  1. North Dakota 100%
  2. Vermont 98.04%
  3. Iowa 96.08%
  4. South Dakota 94.12%
  5. Nebraska 92.16%

Highest Growth Momentum

Fastest new firm formation

  1. Nevada 100
  2. Utah 89.39
  3. Arizona 89.02
  4. Missouri 88.4
  5. Florida 84.56

Top Metro Markets for Healthcare and Social Assistance

Best and worst metro areas out of 248 with healthcare and social assistance data.

Most Favorable Metros

Lowest Metro Market Score

  1. Ames, IA 8.1
  2. Jacksonville, NC 10.9
  3. Auburn-Opelika, AL 12.2
  4. Visalia, CA 15.8
  5. Lawrence, KS 16.1

Most Challenging Metros

Highest Metro Market Score

  1. Worcester, MA 84.9
  2. New Haven, CT 80.3
  3. Morgantown, WV 80.0
  4. Salisbury, MD 77.0
  5. Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 75.8

Entry Risk by State

Geographic distribution of market entry risk for healthcare and social assistance. Click any state for detailed analysis.

Entry Risk by State Alaska — 50.3 · #44 Alabama — 43.6 · #31 Arkansas — 39.5 · #24 Arizona — 44.1 · #32 California — 54.6 · #49 Colorado — 46.7 · #35 Connecticut — 30.9 · #8 District of Columbia — 27.9 · #5 Delaware — 44.8 · #33 Florida — 47.2 · #37 Georgia — 43.3 · #28 Hawaii — 50.2 · #43 Iowa — 26.7 · #4 Idaho — 29.8 · #7 Illinois — 43.6 · #30 Indiana — 31.2 · #10 Kansas — 34.0 · #15 Kentucky — 54.4 · #48 Louisiana — 34.6 · #16 Massachusetts — 48.4 · #40 Maryland — 36.8 · #21 Maine — 49.9 · #42 Michigan — 52.5 · #46 Minnesota — 31.0 · #9 Missouri — 55.6 · #51 Mississippi — 38.3 · #23 Montana — 33.0 · #13 North Carolina — 33.0 · #14 North Dakota — 26.2 · #3 Nebraska — 23.7 · #2 New Hampshire — 36.6 · #19 New Jersey — 45.1 · #34 New Mexico — 53.1 · #47 Nevada — 37.2 · #22 New York — 48.2 · #39 Ohio — 40.2 · #26 Oklahoma — 49.7 · #41 Oregon — 55.6 · #50 Pennsylvania — 29.5 · #6 Rhode Island — 36.0 · #17 South Carolina — 31.5 · #12 South Dakota — 31.4 · #11 Tennessee — 47.4 · #38 Texas — 46.8 · #36 Utah — 22.9 · #1 Virginia — 39.9 · #25 Vermont — 36.7 · #20 Washington — 52.3 · #45 Wisconsin — 43.4 · #29 West Virginia — 40.3 · #27 Wyoming — 36.4 · #18
Low Moderate Elevated High

Tap a state to view details

All 51 States Ranked for Healthcare and Social Assistance Entry Risk

Complete ranking of all 51 states by Entry Risk Score for healthcare and social assistance. Lower score indicates better market conditions for new entrants.

Healthcare and Social Assistance Entry Risk by State

Rank State Risk Score Classification
#1 Utah 22.9 low
#2 Nebraska 23.7 low
#3 North Dakota 26.2 low
#4 Iowa 26.7 low
#5 District of Columbia 27.9 low
#6 Pennsylvania 29.5 low
#7 Idaho 29.8 low
#8 Connecticut 30.9 moderate
#9 Minnesota 31.0 moderate
#10 Indiana 31.2 moderate
#11 South Dakota 31.4 moderate
#12 South Carolina 31.5 moderate
#13 Montana 33.0 moderate
#14 North Carolina 33.0 moderate
#15 Kansas 34.0 moderate
#16 Louisiana 34.6 moderate
#17 Rhode Island 36.0 moderate
#18 Wyoming 36.4 moderate
#19 New Hampshire 36.6 moderate
#20 Vermont 36.7 moderate
#21 Maryland 36.8 moderate
#22 Nevada 37.2 moderate
#23 Mississippi 38.3 moderate
#24 Arkansas 39.5 moderate
#25 Virginia 39.9 moderate
#26 Ohio 40.2 moderate
#27 West Virginia 40.3 moderate
#28 Georgia 43.3 elevated
#29 Wisconsin 43.4 elevated
#30 Illinois 43.6 elevated
#31 Alabama 43.6 elevated
#32 Arizona 44.1 elevated
#33 Delaware 44.8 elevated
#34 New Jersey 45.1 elevated
#35 Colorado 46.7 elevated
#36 Texas 46.8 elevated
#37 Florida 47.2 elevated
#38 Tennessee 47.4 elevated
#39 New York 48.2 elevated
#40 Massachusetts 48.4 elevated
#41 Oklahoma 49.7 elevated
#42 Maine 49.9 elevated
#43 Hawaii 50.2 elevated
#44 Alaska 50.3 elevated
#45 Washington 52.3 elevated
#46 Michigan 52.5 elevated
#47 New Mexico 53.1 elevated
#48 Kentucky 54.4 elevated
#49 California 54.6 elevated
#50 Oregon 55.6 high
#51 Missouri 55.6 high

Healthcare and Social Assistance: Frequently Asked Questions

2026 sector data answers to common entry-decision questions.

Which state has the lowest healthcare and social assistance entry risk in 2026?

Utah ranks #1 with an entry risk score of 22.9, 17.6 points below the 40.5 national average for the healthcare and social assistance sector.

Which state is the most challenging market for new healthcare and social assistance businesses?

Missouri sits at the bottom of the 51-state ranking with an entry risk score of 55.6. New healthcare and social assistance firms here face structural headwinds across retention, growth momentum, and wage pressure.

How many healthcare and social assistance establishments operate in the United States?

2,024,561 healthcare and social assistance establishments are tracked across the 51 U.S. state markets, employing 22,217,641 workers at an average annual wage of $64,278.

Which state has the highest 5-year firm retention for healthcare and social assistance?

North Dakota leads on firm retention with a 100% 5-year survival percentile. New healthcare and social assistance establishments in this state clear the 5-year mark at higher rates than 100% of all states.

What is the average entry risk score for healthcare and social assistance across all U.S. states?

The 51-state average entry risk for healthcare and social assistance is 40.5. Scores range from 22.9 (Utah) to 55.6 (Missouri), a spread of 32.8 points. Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions for new businesses.

Not in Healthcare and Social Assistance?

Compare entry conditions across other sectors.

NAICS 23 Construction NAICS 44-45 Retail Trade NAICS 72 Accommodation and Food Services NAICS 54 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services NAICS 52 Finance and Insurance NAICS 53 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing NAICS 56 Administrative and Support Services NAICS 51 Information NAICS 81 Other Services

How We Calculate Entry Risk

Entry Risk Score combines five normalized metrics: firm retention rates, growth momentum, market volatility, establishment density, and wage pressure. All indices are scaled 0-100 for consistency.

Read full methodology →