--- title: 10 States Where Residents Face the Highest (and Lowest) Health Care Costs description: A new study shows that Alaska has the highest health care spending per capita in the country, while Utah has the lowest health care costs. authors: - name: Adam Hardy role: Lead Data Reporter url: https://money.com/author/adam-hardy/ bio: Adam Hardy is a lead data journalist at Money, where he frequently reports on financial barriers that affect low-income Americans. Adam’s work has also appeared in Business Insider, Forbes, Nasdaq, The Penny Hoarder, Yahoo! Finance and more than a dozen local and regional newspapers. education: University of South Florida, BA, Magazine Journalism at_money_since: 2021 articles: 498 covers: - Health and Wellness - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - The Penny Hoarder - Forbes Advisor - Creative Loafing - The New York Times - The Washington Post - Bloomberg - Harvard Law School - The Federal Register - National Consumer Law Center - CBS News - Becker's Hospital Review - Business Insider - Mother Jones - The Week - Fortune - The Philadelphia Inquirer - National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NAFSAA) - Education Advisory Board (EAB) - The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) - This Morning with Gordon Deal - Empower - Reddit social: - https://www.x.com/hardyjournalism - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hardyjournalism/ editors: - name: Brad Tuttle role: Senior Editor url: https://money.com/author/brad-tuttle/ bio: Brad Tuttle is a former senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals. education: Columbia University School of Journalism, MS at_money_since: 2014 articles: 366 covers: - Health and Wellness - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://twitter.com/bradrtuttle - https://linkedin.com/in/brad-tuttle-834b225 former_staff: true published: '2022-12-16T19:07:10.000Z' modified: '2022-12-16T19:07:10.000Z' section: Health and Wellness tags: - Health Care - health insurance - News word_count: 528 canonical: https://money.com/states-highest-lowest-health-care-costs/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Alaska welcome sign](https://img.money.com/2022/12/News-States-Prices-Health-Care.jpg?crop=0px%2C357px%2C3418px%2C1923px&quality=85) No matter where you live in the U.S., the cost of health care can be a major burden — but that burden can vary greatly depending on your home state. An [analysis](https://www.nicerx.com/blog/healthcare-costs/) from discount prescription provider NiceRx highlights the fragmented nature of our nation’s health care system, with per-capita spending on health care ranging more than $5,000 between states. Notably, Alaska ranks the highest for personal medical spending at $11,064 per person. NiceRx notes that the state’s isolation from the rest of the country is partially to blame, as is a lack of competition among its health care providers. By contrast, residents of Utah have the lowest health care expenses in the nation. Per capita health care spending in the Beehive State is $5,982. ## Make sure you have a Health Insurance Plan for you and your loved ones that best meets your wellness needs. ### Select your state to get started! [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/uea82d9f3309?ap_referrer=%2Fstates-highest-lowest-health-care-costs%2F) Health care spending figures in the analysis are based on recently released government data for the year 2020 and include costs related to private and public [health insurance](https://money.com/3-ways-to-cut-your-spending-on-workplace-health-insurance/), [hospital care](https://money.com/best-hospitals-in-america-right-now/), doctor visits, [prescription drugs](https://money.com/mark-cuban-pharmacy-drug-prices-comparison/) and more. Total costs are then divided by the state’s population. A litany of factors could influence a state’s health care spending, including its [health care laws](https://money.com/surprise-medical-bills-banned/), the typical age of a state’s residents and the competition of its health care system. ## Where health care costs are highest Here’s a look at the states with the highest health care spending: 1. **Alaska**: $11,064 per person 2. **Massachusetts**: $10,559 per person 3. **Delaware**: $10,254 per person 4. **Vermont**: $10,190 per person 5. **Connecticut**: $9,859 per person 6. **North** **Dakota**: $9,851 per person 7. **New** **York**: $9,778 per person 8. **New** **Hampshire**: $9,589 per person 9. **Rhode** **Island**: $9,551 per person 10. **Maine**: $9,551 per person ## A quality Health Insurance Plan can cover most unexpected incidents ### With a Health Insurance Plan that meets your needs while remaining affordable, you'll be good to go. Click below to find out more. [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/u2681ba02390?ap_referrer=%2Fstates-highest-lowest-health-care-costs%2F) ## States with the lowest health care costs per person And here are the states that spend the least on health care: 1. **Utah:** $5,982 per person 2. **Arizona:** $6,452 per person 3. **Georgia:** $6,587 per person 4. **Nevada:** $6,714 per person 5. **Colorado:** $6,804 per person 6. **Idaho:** $6,927 per person 7. **Texas:** $6,998 per person 8. **New Mexico:** $7,214 per person 9. **North Carolina:** $7,264 per person 10. **Alabama:** $7,281 per person As these figures are based on aggregate health care costs, they don’t necessarily reflect what the typical resident with health insurance is paying out-of-pocket for their medical care. A [separate study](https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/indicator/access-affordability/out-of-pocket-spending/#Average%20out-of-pocket%20health%20spending%20per%20capita,%20US%20dollars,%202020%20or%20nearest%20year%C2%A0) by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that, during the same year, the U.S. ranked second among developed countries for average out-of-pocket health costs, at $1,172 per person. Switzerland ranked first, with residents spending $1,577 out-of-pocket for their health care. These numbers also have a caveat: They do not include the cost of health insurance in America itself. For reference, the total annual cost a [typical health plan in the U.S.](https://www.kff.org/report-section/ehbs-2022-section-1-cost-of-health-insurance/) is now nearly $8,000 for singles and more than $22,000 for families. Most of these costs are paid by employers, but singles pay more than $1,300 on average out of their paychecks for health insurance and workers with family plans cough up about $6,100 per year. According to government [data](https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/NHE-Fact-Sheet), out-of-pocket spending for Americans exceeded $433 billion in 2021. ## Get a Health Insurance policy that meets your wellness needs ### An affordable Health Insurance plan can cover any incident that might happen in the future. [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/ueb4827bfe5c?ap_referrer=%2Fstates-highest-lowest-health-care-costs%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/states-highest-lowest-health-care-costs/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Health and Wellness", "item": "https://money.com/health-and-wellness/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Health Care", "item": "https://money.com/health-care/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "10 States Where Residents Face the Highest (and Lowest) Health Care Costs" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/states-highest-lowest-health-care-costs/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/states-highest-lowest-health-care-costs/", "name": "10 States Where Residents Face the Highest (and Lowest) Health Care Costs", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2022-12-16T19:07:10.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/states-highest-lowest-health-care-costs/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/states-highest-lowest-health-care-costs/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2022-12-16T19:07:10.000Z" }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "10 States Where Residents Face the Highest (and Lowest) Health Care Costs", "articleSection": "Health and Wellness", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2022/12/News-States-Prices-Health-Care.jpg?crop=0px%2C357px%2C3418px%2C1923px&quality=85", "width": 1012, "height": 569, "caption": "News-States-Prices-Health-Care" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Adam Hardy", "url": "https://money.com/author/adam-hardy/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/adam-hardy/#author", "description": "Adam Hardy is a lead data journalist at Money, where he frequently reports on financial barriers that affect low-income Americans. Adam’s work has also appeared in Business Insider, Forbes, Nasdaq, The Penny Hoarder, Yahoo! Finance and more than a dozen local and regional newspapers.", "image": "https://img.money.com/2022/01/a_adam-hardy.jpg?quality=85&w=400&h=440&crop=1", "email": "adam.hardy@money.com", "jobTitle": "Lead Data Reporter", "alumniOf": "University of South Florida, BA, Magazine Journalism", "subjectOf": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/", "name": "The Penny Hoarder" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.forbes.com/advisor/", "name": "Forbes Advisor" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://creativeloafing.com/", "name": "Creative Loafing" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/opinion/biden-trump-harris-2024.html", "name": "The New York Times" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/26/flexible-spending-account-is-flawed-benefit/", "name": "The Washington Post" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-09-20/-100-000-h-1b-visa-fee-is-a-gamble-that-could-protect-us-jobs", "name": "Bloomberg" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2024/02/08/whoop-and-the-irs-how-tax-avoidance-helps-health/", "name": "Harvard Law School" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/29/2025-23853/weighted-selection-process-for-registrants-and-petitioners-seeking-to-file-cap-subject-h-1b#footnote-33-p60883", "name": "The Federal Register" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.nclc.org/resources/what-states-can-do-to-stop-credit-reporting-abuses/", "name": "National Consumer Law Center" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/open-enrollment-irs-changes-fsa-hsa-flexible-spending-account-health-savings-account-2023/", "name": "CBS News" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/rankings-and-ratings/20-top-us-hospitals-for-2025-per-money/", "name": "Becker's Hospital Review" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.businessinsider.com/using-chatgpt-ai-write-cover-letters-job-applications-2023-2", "name": "Business Insider" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/04/a-major-strike-of-beef-workers-pauses-in-colorado-but-workers-say-the-fight-isnt-over/", "name": "Mother Jones" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://theweek.com/business/economy/job-market-frozen-thawing", "name": "The Week" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://fortune.com/2023/12/20/workers-lose-money-on-unused-fsa-accounts-deadlines-what-companies-should-do/", "name": "Fortune" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/liberation-day-tariffs-economy-stock-market-trump-20250401.html", "name": "The Philadelphia Inquirer" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.nasfaa.org/news-item/37955/Student_Loan_Changes_2026_New_Repayment_Options_Taxable_Forgiveness_and_More_on_the_Way", "name": "National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NAFSAA)" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://eab.com/resources/blog/adult-education-blog/graduate-funding-shift-pricing-aid-strategies-aligned/", "name": "Education Advisory Board (EAB)" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://ticas.org/california/state-private-loans-protections-blog/", "name": "The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS)" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://thismorningwithgordondeal.com/b/This-Morning-with-Gordon-Deal-August-04,-2026/421564107823081285.html", "name": "This Morning with Gordon Deal" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.empower.com/the-currency/life/pumpkin-spice-season-spending", "name": "Empower" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/Economics/comments/1va10oa/comment/p0i9bju/", "name": "Reddit" } ], "sameAs": [ "https://www.x.com/hardyjournalism", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/hardyjournalism/" ], "worksFor": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2022-12-16T19:07:10.000Z", "description": "A new study shows that Alaska has the highest health care spending per capita in the country, while Utah has the lowest health care costs.", "abstract": "A new study shows that Alaska has the highest health care spending per capita in the country, while Utah has the lowest health care costs.", "@id": "https://money.com/states-highest-lowest-health-care-costs/", "inLanguage": "en-US", "dateModified": "2022-12-16T19:07:10.000Z", "editor": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brad Tuttle", "url": "https://money.com/author/brad-tuttle/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/brad-tuttle/#author", "description": "Brad Tuttle is a former senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals.\r\n\r\n", "image": "https://img.money.com/2014/01/Brad-Tuttle.png?w=226&h=247&crop=1", "alumniOf": "Columbia University School of Journalism, MS", "sameAs": [ "https://twitter.com/bradrtuttle", "https://linkedin.com/in/brad-tuttle-834b225" ] } ], "wordCount": 528, "keywords": [ "Health Care", "health insurance", "News" ], "about": [ { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Health", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health" ] }, { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Health care", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care" ] }, { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expense", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expense" ] } ] } ] } ```