Choosing the right state to practice pulmonology can influence career satisfaction, earning potential, and work–life balance. Whether you’re an early-career pulmonology specialist building a patient base or an experienced provider looking to relocate, location matters.

The list below features the top 10 states that offer the most favorable conditions for pulmonologists—blending salary potential, growth opportunities (clinical, stewardship, and public health roles), and supportive health care and public health infrastructure.

1. Minnesota – With an average gross salary of $397,109, and 2 adult lung transplant centers, cost of living is 5% lower than the US average.

2. Missouri – Cost of living is 14% lower than the US average, pulmonologists earned an average gross salary of $368,065 and Missouri has a lung transplant program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

3. Oklahoma – There is an adult lung transplant center at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, the cost of living is 17% lower than the US average, and pulmonologists earned an average gross salary of $355,684.

4. Nebraska – Joined the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact in 2017 and has a lung transplant program at The Nebraska Medical Center. In the American Lung Association’s 2025 State of the Air report, the Omaha metro area ranked 29th worst nationally for ozone pollution (8.2 unhealthy days per year; grade F) and 104th worst for particle pollution (1.8 unhealthy days per year; grade C).

5. North Carolina – There is a lung transplant program at Duke University Hospital, cost of living is 7% lower than the US average, and pulmonologists earned an average gross salary of $375,842.

6. Kentucky – Cost of living is 14% lower than the US average, pulmonologists earned an average gross salary of $363,902 and Kentucky has a lung transplant program at University of Kentucky Medical Center.

7. Utah – Joined the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact in 2015. The cost of living is 6% lower than the US average and pulmonologists earned an average gross salary of $375,917.

8. Florida – There are 5 adult lung transplant centers, cost of living is 10% higher than the US average and pulmonologists earned an average gross salary of $382,839.

9. Texas – Cost of living is 10% lower than the US average, pulmonologists earned an average gross salary of $393,691 and Texas has 9 adult lung transplant centers.

10. New York – There are 5 adult lung transplant centers. The American Lung Association’s 2025 State of the Air report placed the New York metro area among the nation’s most polluted and as the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast region’s most ozone-polluted metro area.

Sources: American Lung Association, National Center for Interstate Compacts, SalaryExpert, Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients