Key Findings
- In 2022, the specialties with the largest numbers of active physicians were the primary care specialties of internal medicine, family medicine/general practice, and pediatrics (refer to Total Physicians by Specialty).
- In 2022, there were 297 active physicians per 100,000 population and 252 direct patient care physicians per 100,000 population in the United States (refer to Physicians per 100,000 Population by Specialty). States in the northeast had the highest number of active physicians per 100,000 population and direct patient care physicians per 100,000 population (refer to Physicians per 100,000 Population by Specialty).
- Among states, Massachusetts had the highest number of active physicians (480) and direct patient care physicians (369) per 100,000 population (refer to Physicians per 100,000 Population by Specialty). Idaho had the lowest number of active physicians (192) and direct patient care physicians (178) per 100,000 population (refer to Physicians per 100,000 Population by Specialty).
- Among territories, the District of Columbia had the highest number of active physicians (926) and direct patient care (647) per 100,000 population (refer to Physicians per 100,000 Population by Specialty). American Samoa had the lowest number of active physicians and direct patient care physicians per 100,000 population (masked due to small cell sizes, fewer than 40 each), followed by the Northern Mariana Islands (46 and 40, respectively; refer to Physicians per 100,000 Population by Specialty).
- Nationally, there were 7 direct patient care general surgeons per 100,000 population in 2022 (refer to Physicians per 100,000 Population by Specialty). The District of Columbia had the highest number of direct patient care general surgeons per 100,000 population (15), followed by Vermont, Maine, and Wyoming (10 each; refer to Physicians per 100,000 Population by Specialty). The Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa had the lowest number of direct patient care general surgeons per 100,000 population (0), followed by Oklahoma, Idaho, Texas, Utah, and Nevada (5 each) and Guam (masked due to small cell sizes, fewer than 5; refer to Physicians per 100,000 Population by Specialty).
- In 2022, 24.7% of active physicians were international medical graduates (IMGs) (refer to Physicians in All Specialties). States and territories varied widely in the percentage of their physician workforce that graduated from an international medical school (refer to Compare Physicians by Specialty and State or Territory). Puerto Rico, New Jersey, Guam, and New York had the highest percentages (47.0%, 37.9%, 37.5%, and 36.0%, respectively), while Idaho (6.2%) had the lowest percentage of IMGs (refer to Compare Physicians by Specialty and State or Territory).
- In 2022, more than one-third (37.6%) of the active physician workforce was female (refer to Physicians in All Specialties). Pediatrics (65.6%) and hospice and palliative medicine (62.2%) had the highest percentages of female physicians, while sports medicine (orthopedic surgery) and orthopedic surgery (7.5% and 6.2%, respectively) had the lowest percentages (refer to Compare Physician Data by Specialty and State or Territory).
- The highest percentages of female physicians were in the District of Columbia (49.4%), the U.S. Virgin Islands (45.5%), and Massachusetts (44.3%; refer to Compare Physicians by Specialty and State or Territory). Utah had the lowest percentage of female physicians at 26.2%, followed by American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands (masked due to small cell sizes, less than 20% respectively; refer to Physicians by State or Territory and Specialty).
- Note: The AMA Physician Professional Data defines gender as “male” OR “female.” Although limited to these categories within our analyses, we acknowledge sex and gender as fluid, nonbinary variables.
- In 2022, 23.2% of active physicians were age 65 or older (refer to Physicians in All Specialties). The percentages of this age group in individual specialties ranged from 66.5% in pulmonary disease to 2.0% in clinical neurophysiology (refer to Compare Physician Data by Specialty and State or Territory).
- The Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa had the highest percentages of physicians aged 65 and older (masked due to small cell sizes, both above 35.0%), followed by Puerto Rico (35.5%; refer to Physicians by State or Territory and Specialty). Utah had the lowest percentage of physicians older than 65 years (18%; refer to Physicians by State or Territory and Specialty).
- In 2022, 16.9% of active physicians were under age 40 (refer to Physicians in All Specialties). The percentages of this age group in individual specialties ranged from 37.6% in hospice and palliative medicine to 0.7% in pulmonary disease (refer to Physicians in All Specialties).
- Missouri had the highest percentage of physicians under age 40 (24.7%), and American Samoa had no physicians under age 40 (0%; refer to Physicians by State or Territory and Specialty).
- In 2022, 56.5% of active physicians identified as White, 18.8% as Asian, 6.3% as Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish Origin (alone or in combination), 5.2% as Black or African American, and less than 1.5% identified as Multiracial (non-Hispanic; 1.3%), Other (1.1%), American Indian or Alaska Native (0.3%), or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (0.1%). The percentage of physicians with an unknown race or ethnicity was 10.4% (refer to Physicians in All Specialties).
- In the late 1980s, pulmonary disease evolved into what is now known as pulmonary critical care. The decrease in physicians in this specialty is likely due to pulmonary critical care replacing pulmonary disease (refer to Total Physicians by Specialty Dashboard).
- Since at least 2005, pathology has subspecialized rapidly. In collaboration with the College of American Pathologists, the AAMC is conducting research in which the pathology workforce has been redefined to consider its subspecialization. Based on that research, a new definition of pathologists is used in this dashboard. For more details, please see Pathology.
Primary Data Sources
- The 2023 American Medical Association (AMA) Physician Professional Data (as of Dec. 31, 2022) provided data for active physicians. The AMA Physician Professional Data is updated annually from various sources, including a survey of physicians.
- Race and ethnicity are obtained from a variety of AAMC sources (e.g., Electronic Residency Application Service, American Medical College Application Service, Medical College Admission Test) with priority given to the most recent, self-reported source.
- U.S. Census Bureau population estimates were used to calculate the number of physicians per 100,000 population. The U.S. population under 24 years of age was used to calculate the number of physicians per population for pediatric specialties (i.e., child & adolescent psychiatry, internal medicine/pediatrics, pediatric anesthesiology (anesthesiology), pediatric cardiology, pediatric critical care medicine, pediatric hematology/oncology, and pediatrics). The U.S. population over age 60 was used to calculate the number of physicians per population in geriatric medicine.
Commonly Used Acronyms
- AAMC: Association of American Medical Colleges
- ACGME: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
- AMA: American Medical Association
- DO: doctor of osteopathic medicine
- GME: graduate medical education
- IMG: international medical graduate
- MD: doctor of medicine
- U.S.: United States
Definitions
Note: The AMA Physician Professional Data defines gender as "male" OR "female." Although limited to these categories within our analyses, we acknowledge sex and gender as fluid, non-binary variables.
Active Physicians: Physicians licensed by one of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands are considered active, provided they work more than 20 hours per week. Physicians who are retired, semi-retired, temporarily not in practice, inactive for other reasons, or have not completed their graduate medical education are excluded.
Active physicians include those working in direct patient care, administration, medical teaching, research, or other non-patient-care activities. Active physicians include those with an MD or a DO degree. Physicians older than 101 years of age were excluded.
The location of the physician’s office was used to determine whether an active physician is in the United States. In cases where the physician’s office location was missing, the state from the preferred mailing address was used. This substitution occurred for approximately 14% of cases among all active physicians in 2022.
Unless otherwise stated, the term physicians refers to active physicians.
Active patient care physicians: This group is a subset of active physicians. It comprises only those physicians whose self-reported practice is direct patient care.
International medical graduate: An individual who graduated from a medical school outside the U.S., Puerto Rico,1 or Canada is considered an international medical graduate (IMG). This includes U.S. citizens who completed their medical education outside the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada. All IMGs must be certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and complete a residency training program in the United States to be eligible for licensure and practice in the United States. Canadian and Puerto Rican medical school graduates are not considered IMGs because they do not have to be certified by the ECFMG to enter a residency training program in the United States. Please note that although Canadian medical school graduates practicing in the United States are not considered IMGs or U.S. MDs, they are included in the totals for active physicians. Graduates of Puerto Rican medical schools are considered U.S. MDs.
U.S. DO: A physician who received their DO degree from a U.S. DO-granting school — including in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico1 — accredited by the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA).
U.S. MD: A physician who received their MD degree from a U.S. medical school — including in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico1 — accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME®).
1 Prior to the 2020 Physician Specialty Data Report, physicians practicing in Puerto Rico were categorized as “IMG.”
Practice Specialties
This report presents data for the practice specialties with the largest number of active physicians, meaning more than 2,500 active physicians. Specialty designations for active physicians rely on the primary specialty selected by the physician on the Census of Physicians administered by the American Medical Association (AMA). Specialty designations for residents and fellows reflect the training program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in which the physician is training.
The AMA Physician Professional Data lists more than 200 specialty categories. To give a more comprehensive and informative view of the specialty category, we grouped some related specialties, as shown in the left column of the table below. Specialty groupings used in this report are indicated in the table below.
AAMC and AMA Specialty Groupings
Note: Letters in parentheses are the codes the AMA Physician Professional Data use for self-designated practice specialties/areas of practice
| AAMC Specialty Grouping | AMA Physician Professional Data Specialties Included |
|---|---|
| Allergy and Immunology | Allergy (A) Allergy and Immunology (AI) Immunology (IG) |
| Anesthesiology | Anesthesiology (AN) |
| Cardiovascular Disease | Cardiovascular Disease (CD) |
| Child and Adolescent Psychiatry | Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CHP) |
| Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology | Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology (ICE) |
| Clinical Neurophysiology | Clinical Neurophysiology (CN) |
| Critical Care Medicine | Critical Care Medicine (Internal Medicine) (CCM) Critical Care Medicine (Anesthesiology) (CCA) Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine (PCC |
| Dermatology | Dermatology (D) |
| Emergency Medicine | Emergency Medicine (EM) |
| Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism | Diabetes (DIA) Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism (END) |
| Family Medicine/General Practice | Family Medicine (FM, FP) General Practice (GP) |
| Gastroenterology | Gastroenterology (GE) |
| General Surgery | General Surgery (GS) |
| Geriatric Medicine | Geriatric Medicine (Internal Medicine) (IMG) Geriatric Medicine (Family Practice) (FPG) |
| Hematology and Oncology | Hematology (Internal Medicine) (HEM) Hematology/Oncology (HO) Medical Oncology (ON) |
| Hospice and Palliative Medicine | Palliative Medicine (PLM) Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Anesthesiology) (HPA) Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Radiology) (HPD) Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Emergency Medicine) (HPE) Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Family/General Practice) (HPF) Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Internal Medicine) (HPI) Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Physical Medicine & Rehab) (HPM) Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Psychiatry & Neurology) (HPN) Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Obstetrics & Gynecology) (HPO) Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Pediatrics) (HPP) Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Physical Medicine & Rehab) (HPR) Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Surgery) (HPS) |
| Infectious Disease | Infectious Disease (ID) |
| Internal Medicine | Internal Medicine (IM) |
| Internal Medicine/Pediatrics | Internal Medicine/Pediatrics (MPD) |
| Interventional Cardiology | Interventional Cardiology (IC) |
| Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine | Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine (NPM) |
| Nephrology | Nephrology (NEP) |
| Neurological Surgery | Neurological Surgery (NS) |
| Neurology | Neurology (N) |
| Neuroradiology | Neuroradiology (RNR) |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology |
Gynecology (GYN) |
| Ophthalmology | Ophthalmology (OPH) |
| Orthopedic Surgery | Orthopedic Surgery (ORS) |
| Otolaryngology | Otolaryngology (OTO) |
| Pathology | Since at least 2005, pathology has subspecialized rapidly. In collaboration with the College of American Pathologists, the AAMC conducted research in which the pathology workforce has been redefined to take into account its subspecialization. A new definition of pathologists, based on that research, is used in this report. For full details of the new pathology definition, please refer to the AAMC Pathology Specialty Grouping. |
| Pain Medicine and Pain Management | Pain Medicine (APM, PMM, PMN, PMD) Pain Management (PME, PMP) |
| Pediatric Anesthesiology | Pediatric Anesthesiology (PAN) |
| Pediatric Cardiology | Pediatric Cardiology (PDC) |
| Pediatric Critical Care Medicine | Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (CCP) |
| Pediatric Hematology/Oncology | Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (PHO) |
| Pediatrics | Pediatrics (PD) |
| Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM) |
| Plastic Surgery | Facial Plastic Surgery (FPS) Plastic Surgery (PS, PSI) Plastic Surgery Within the Head and Neck (PSH) |
| Preventive Medicine | Aerospace Medicine (AM) General Preventive Medicine (GPM) Occupational Medicine (OM) Public Health and General Preventive Medicine (PHP, MPH) |
| Psychiatry | Addiction Medicine (ADM) Addiction Psychiatry (ADP) Psychiatry (P) Psychoanalysis (PYA) Psychosomatic Medicine (PYM) |
| Pulmonary Disease1 | Pulmonary Disease (PUD) |
| Radiation Oncology | Radiation Oncology (RO) |
| Radiology and Diagnostic Radiology | Diagnostic Radiology (DR) Radiology (R) |
| Rheumatology | Rheumatology (RHU) |
| Sports Medicine | Sports Medicine (Emergency Medicine) (ESM) Sports Medicine (Family Practice) (FSM) Sports Medicine (Internal Medicine) (ISM) Sports Medicine (Pediatrics) (PSM) Sports Medicine (Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation) (PRS) |
| Sports Medicine (Orthopedic Surgery) | Sports Medicine (Orthopedic Surgery) (OSM) |
| Surgical Critical Care (Surgery) | Surgical Critical Care (Surgery) (CCS) |
| Thoracic Surgery | Thoracic Surgery (TS, TSI) Cardiothoracic Surgery (CTS) |
| Urology | Urology (U) |
| Vascular and Interventional Radiology | Vascular and Interventional Radiology (VIR) |
| Vascular Surgery | Vascular Surgery (VS, VSI) |
1 In the late 1980s, pulmonary disease began to evolve into what is now known as pulmonary critical care. The decrease in physicians in this specialty is likely due to pulmonary critical care replacing pulmonary disease.
AAMC Pathology Specialty Grouping
Since at least 2005, pathology has subspecialized rapidly. In collaboration with the College of American Pathologists, the AAMC conducted research in which the pathology workforce has been redefined to take into account its subspecialization. A new definition of pathologists, based on that research, is used in this report. The definition given in the table below is based on the primary specialty code and secondary specialty code for each physician in the AMA Physician Professional Data.
| AMA Physician Professional Data Primary Specialties Included | AMA Physician Professional Data Secondary Specialties Included |
|---|---|
| Anatomic/Clinical Pathology (PTH) | Anatomic Pathology (ATP) Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine (BBK) Chemical Pathology (PCH) Clinical Pathology (CLP) Cytopathology (PCP) Dermatopathology (DMP) Forensic Pathology (FOP) Hematology (Pathology) (HMP) Medical Microbiology (MM) Molecular Genetic Pathology (Pathology) (MGP) Neuropathology (NP) Other Specialty (OS) Pediatric Pathology (PP) Selective Pathology (SP) Unspecified (US) |
| Chemical Pathology (PCH) | Anatomic/Clinical Pathology (PTH) Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine (BBK) Clinical Pathology (CLP) Unspecified (US) |
| Anatomic Pathology (ATP) | Anatomic/Clinical Pathology (PTH) Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine (BBK) Chemical Pathology (PCH) Clinical Pathology (CLP) Cytopathology (PCP) Dermatopathology (DMP) Forensic Pathology (FOP) Hematology (Pathology) (HMP) Medical Microbiology (MM) Molecular Genetic Pathology (Pathology) (MGP) Neuropathology (NP) Other Specialty (OS) Pediatric Pathology (PP) Selective Pathology (SP) Unspecified (US) |
| Clinical Informatics (Pathology) (CIP) | Clinical Pathology (CLP) Unspecified (US) |
| Hematology (Pathology) (HMP) |
Anatomic/Clinical Pathology (PTH) |
| Clinical Pathology (CLP) | Anatomic/Clinical Pathology (PTH) Anatomic Pathology (ATP) Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine (BBK) Clinical Informatics (Pathology) (CIP) Cytopathology (PCP) Dermatopathology (DMP) Forensic Pathology (FOP) Hematology (Pathology) (HMP) Medical Microbiology (MM) Molecular Genetic Pathology (Pathology) (MGP) Other Specialty (OS) Chemical Pathology (PCH) Unspecified (US) |
| Dermatopathology (DMP) | Anatomic/Clinical Pathology (PTH) Anatomic Pathology (ATP) Clinical Pathology (CLP) Cytopathology (PCP) Forensic Pathology (FOP) Hematology (Pathology) (HMP) Neuropathology (NP) Other Specialty (OS) Unspecified (US) |
| Forensic Pathology (FOP) | Anatomic/Clinical Pathology (PTH) Anatomic Pathology (ATP) Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine (BBK) Clinical Pathology (CLP) Cytopathology (PCP) Dermatopathology (DMP) Neuropathology (NP) Pediatric Pathology (PP) Unspecified (US) |
| Neuropathology (NP) | Anatomic/Clinical Pathology (PTH) Anatomic Pathology (ATP) Clinical Pathology (CLP) Cytopathology (PCP) Forensic Pathology (FOP) Pediatric Pathology (PP) Other Specialty (OS) Unspecified (US) |
| Molecular Genetic Pathology (Pathology) (MGP) | Anatomic/Clinical Pathology (PTH) Anatomic Pathology (ATP) Clinical Pathology (CLP) Dermatopathology (DMP) Hematology (Pathology) (HMP) Neuropathology (NP) Unspecified (US) |
| Cytopathology (PCP) | Anatomic/Clinical Pathology (PTH) Anatomic Pathology (ATP) Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine (BBK) Clinical Pathology (CLP) Dermatopathology (DMP) Forensic Pathology (FOP) Hematology (Pathology) (HMP) Other Specialty (OS) Selective Pathology (SP) Unspecified (US) |
| Pediatric Pathology (PP) | Anatomic/Clinical Pathology (PTH) Anatomic Pathology (ATP) Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine (BBK) Chemical Pathology (PCH) Clinical Pathology (CLP) Forensic Pathology (FOP) Hematology (Pathology) (HMP) Medical Microbiology (MM) Neuropathology (NP) Other Specialty (OS) Unspecified (US) |
| Selective Pathology (SP) | Anatomic/Clinical Pathology (PTH) Chemical Pathology (PCH) Dermatopathology (DMP) Forensic Pathology (FOP) Hematology (Pathology) (HMP) Neuropathology (NP) Other Specialty (OS) Pediatric Pathology (PP) Unspecified (US) |
| Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine (BBK) | Anatomic/Clinical Pathology (PTH) Anatomic Pathology (ATP) Chemical Pathology (PCH) Clinical Pathology (CLP) Cytopathology (PCP) Hematology (Pathology) (HMP) Molecular Genetic Pathology (Pathology) (MGP) Other Specialty (OS) Pediatric Pathology (PP) Unspecified (US) |
| Clinical & Laboratory Immunology (Internal Medicine) (ILI) | Clinical Pathology (CLP) |
| Medical Microbiology (MM) | Anatomic/Clinical Pathology (PTH) Clinical Pathology (CLP) Other Specialty (OS) Unspecified (US) |
| Other Specialty (OS) | Anatomic Pathology (ATP) Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine (BBK) Clinical Pathology (CLP) Cytopathology (PCP) Forensic Pathology (FOP) Medical Microbiology (MM) Neuropathology (NP) Selective Pathology (SP) |
| Unspecified (US) | Anatomic/Clinical Pathology (PTH) Anatomic Pathology (ATP) Clinical Pathology (CLP) |