Top 20 US States IMGs Practice Medicine

The chart below shows the top 20 US states in which IMGs practice medicine, as broken down by percentage of each state’s physician workforce.  This data can also be interpreted as a list of the most “IMG friendly” states in the country.  It’s important for international students and graduates to keep this in mind, as a factor, when selecting which locations to look into for clinical rotations.

Source: AMA

In comparing the data to our current student pool and the location requests we receive, there are many predictable selections and some surprises.  In particular, Ohio and Michigan were must higher than we expected.  These IMG friendly locations pose an interesting angle of approach to networking.

As an IMG, any advantage you can take to increase your odds at matching should be considered.  You never know which opportunity could arise just based on your proximity to more IMG friendly programs.