Top 10 IMG Friendly States from Match 2018

Among the many considerations faced by International Medical Graduates, geological location is an important aspect of medical residency research for International Medical Graduates (IMGs). Not only must IMG residency applicants research individual residency programs, they should also be aware of state limitations and the overall IMG friendliness of whole states. Knowing how IMG friendly a state is can help IMGs better focus their research, and resources.

Based on the 2018 NRMP® Main Residency Match®: Match Rates by Specialty and State study, the Top 10 Most IMG Friendly States are:

  1. New York (1,384 IMGs)
  2. Florida (529 IMGs)
  3. Michigan (496 IMGs)
  4. Pennsylvania (462 IMGs)
  5. New Jersey (399 IMGs)
  6. Texas (378 IMGs)
  7. Illinois (360 IMGs)
  8. Ohio (341 IMGs)
  9. California (290 IMGs)
  10. Massachusetts (242 IMGs)

Below is the full list of all 50 US states and analysis of US IMGs and Non-US IMGs per state:

State US IMG Non US IMG Total
Alabama 40 47 87
Alaska 0 1 1
Arizona 44 27 71
Arkansas 40 26 66
California 209 81 290
Colorado 3 4 7
Connecticut 66 152 218
Delaware 6 1 7
D.C. 26 90 116
Florida 270 259 529
Georgia 108 86 194
Hawaii 11 12 23
Idaho 5 5 10
Illinois 106 254 360
Indiana 19 25 44
Iowa 17 24 41
Kansas 7 20 27
Kentucky 24 21 45
Louisiana 95 58 153
Maine 1 8 9
Maryland 46 134 180
Massachusetts 49 193 242
Michigan 188 308 496
Minnesota 19 53 72
Mississippi 18 17 35
Missouri 34 79 113
Montana 6 0 6
Nebraska 16 35 51
Nevada 31 16 47
New Hampshire 8 6 14
New Jersey 208 191 399
New Mexico 8 13 21
New York 572 812 1384
North Carolina 43 29 72
North Dakota 15 12 27
Ohio 111 230 341
Oklahoma 12 28 40
Oregon 8 7 15
Pennsylvania 154 308 462
Puerto Rico 63 14 77
Rhode Island 10 26 36
South Carolina 13 7 20
South Dakota 6 9 15
Tennessee 45 39 84
Texas 139 239 378
Utah 3 5 8
Vermont 1 2 3
Virginia 58 57 115
Washington 14 8 22
West Virginia 27 38 65
Wisconsin 33 33 66
Wyoming 5 0 5

Source: 2018 Match Results by State, Specialty, and Applicant Type

The NATIONAL RESIDENT MATCHING PROGRAM®, The NRMP®, SUPPLEMENTAL OFFER AND ACCEPTANCE PROGRAM®, and SOAP® are registered trademarks of National Resident Matching Program. THE MATCH™ is a trademark of National Resident Matching Program. ResidencyPrep, LLC and this page are not sponsored by, endorsed by, or affiliated with National Resident Matching Program.

Next Article2018-19 Residency Application Cycle: Complete IMG Timeline and Checklist