Hardest-to-fill healthcare jobs
Edition 2026-10-04. Fifteen role and metro pairs from the hiring pages, walking the hiring difficulty score from the top. Scores are the free check's city score, the same figure on each hiring page. The list keeps at most 2 entries from one state and at most 3 entries for one occupation. A Hiring Pack also weighs your offer and how long the req has been open, so its score can differ. This is the archived edition dated 2026-10-04. The current edition is on /hardest-to-fill/.
Score 7.7 for Healthcare Social Workers in McAllen, TX, from the free check's city score: supply against demand, location, and role type. The metro has fewer of these workers than the national mix, a location quotient of 0.93 (OEWS, May 2025). OEWS counts 330 of these jobs in the metro.
Score 7.7 for Physician Assistants in McAllen, TX, from the free check's city score: supply against demand, location, and role type. The metro has a thicker supply of these workers than the national mix, a location quotient of 1.30 (OEWS, May 2025). OEWS counts 400 of these jobs in the metro.
Score 7.7 for Physical Therapists in Albuquerque, NM, from the free check's city score: supply against demand, location, and role type. The metro has about the same share of these workers as the national mix, a location quotient of 1.00 (OEWS, May 2025). OEWS counts 690 of these jobs in the metro.
Score 7.7 for Physician Assistants in Dayton, OH, from the free check's city score: supply against demand, location, and role type. The metro has a thicker supply of these workers than the national mix, a location quotient of 1.32 (OEWS, May 2025). OEWS counts 510 of these jobs in the metro.
Score 7.7 for Pharmacists in Little Rock, AR, from the free check's city score: supply against demand, location, and role type. The metro has a thicker supply of these workers than the national mix, a location quotient of 1.38 (OEWS, May 2025). OEWS counts 1,020 of these jobs in the metro.
Score 7.7 for Physician Assistants in Little Rock, AR, from the free check's city score: supply against demand, location, and role type. The metro has fewer of these workers than the national mix, a location quotient of 0.92 (OEWS, May 2025). OEWS counts 340 of these jobs in the metro.
Score 7.7 for Occupational Therapists in Baton Rouge, LA, from the free check's city score: supply against demand, location, and role type. The metro has about the same share of these workers as the national mix, a location quotient of 1.01 (OEWS, May 2025). OEWS counts 430 of these jobs in the metro.
Score 7.7 for Physical Therapists in Baton Rouge, LA, from the free check's city score: supply against demand, location, and role type. The metro has fewer of these workers than the national mix, a location quotient of 0.84 (OEWS, May 2025). OEWS counts 590 of these jobs in the metro.
Score 7.7 for Healthcare Social Workers in Boise City, ID, from the free check's city score: supply against demand, location, and role type. The metro has fewer of these workers than the national mix, a location quotient of 0.88 (OEWS, May 2025). OEWS counts 410 of these jobs in the metro.
Score 7.7 for Occupational Therapists in Knoxville, TN, from the free check's city score: supply against demand, location, and role type. The metro has far fewer of these workers than the national mix, a location quotient of 0.65 (OEWS, May 2025). OEWS counts 290 of these jobs in the metro.
Score 7.7 for Nurse Practitioners in Bakersfield, CA, from the free check's city score: supply against demand, location, and role type. The metro has far fewer of these workers than the national mix, a location quotient of 0.61 (OEWS, May 2025). OEWS counts 430 of these jobs in the metro.
Score 7.7 for Occupational Therapists in Bakersfield, CA, from the free check's city score: supply against demand, location, and role type. The metro has far fewer of these workers than the national mix, a location quotient of 0.47 (OEWS, May 2025). OEWS counts 170 of these jobs in the metro.
Score 7.7 for Physical Therapists in North Port, FL, from the free check's city score: supply against demand, location, and role type. The metro has more of these workers than the national mix, a location quotient of 1.16 (OEWS, May 2025). OEWS counts 680 of these jobs in the metro.
Score 7.6 for Healthcare Social Workers in Bridgeport, CT, from the free check's city score: supply against demand, location, and role type. The metro has far fewer of these workers than the national mix, a location quotient of 0.70 (OEWS, May 2025). OEWS counts 340 of these jobs in the metro.
Score 7.5 for Speech-Language Pathologists in Las Vegas, NV, from the free check's city score: supply against demand, location, and role type. The metro has far fewer of these workers than the national mix, a location quotient of 0.72 (OEWS, May 2025). OEWS counts 960 of these jobs in the metro.
Each line gives the score and the metro's published OEWS location quotient. Ties go to the larger healthcare metro. The cap is applied only on this list. The score on each hiring page is uncapped.