aamc.org does not support this web browser.

U.S. Physician Workforce Data Dashboard

2024 Key Findings and Definitions

Commonly Used Abbreviations

  • AAMC: Association of American Medical Colleges
  • ACGME: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
  • DO: doctor of osteopathic medicine
  • UME: undergraduate medical education
  • GME: graduate medical education
  • IMG: international medical graduate
  • MD: doctor of medicine
  • U.S.: United States

Key Findings

Below are the key findings from the 2024 release of the U.S. Physician Workforce Data Dashboard:

  • In 2023, 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 U.S. Physicians by Specialty).
  • In 2023, the United States had 1,010,892 active physicians of which 851,282 were direct patient care physicians, corresponding to 302 and 254 physicians per 100,000 population respectively. States in the Northeast had the highest numbers of both active and direct patient care physicians per population (refer to Physicians Density by Specialty and Location).
    • Among states and territories, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia had the highest number of both active and direct patient care physicians per population. In contrast, Idaho and American Samoa had the lowest number of both active and direct patient care physicians (refer to Physicians Density by Specialty and Location).
    • Nationally, there were 7 direct patient care general surgeons per 100,000 population. The District of Columbia had the highest number of direct patient care general surgeons per 100,000 population (13), followed by Vermont, Maine, and Wyoming (10 each). The Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa had the lowest number (0), followed by Oklahoma, Idaho, Texas, Utah, and Nevada (5 each; refer to Physicians Density by Specialty and Location).
    • The United States had 86 direct patient care primary care physicians per 100,000 population in 2023. The District of Columbia (255), Vermont (139), Massachusetts (137), and Maine (125) had the highest number. Excluding Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, U.S. territories had the lowest number. Amongst states, Utah (67) and Mississippi (69) had the fewest direct patient care primary care physicians per 100,000 population (refer to Physicians Density by Specialty and Location).
  • In 2023, 24.7% of active physicians were international medical graduates (IMGs; refer to U.S. 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 Data by Specialty and Location).
  • Puerto Rico, Guam, New Jersey, and New York had the highest percentages (47.0%, 39.1%, 37.3%, and 36.0%, respectively), while Idaho (6.2%) had the lowest percentage of IMGs (refer to Compare Data by Specialty and Location).
  • In 2023, more than one-third (38.1%) of the active physician workforce was female (refer to U.S. Physicians in All Specialties). Pediatrics (66.2%) and hospice and palliative medicine (63.0%) had the highest percentages of female physicians, while sports medicine (orthopedic surgery) and orthopedic surgery (7.7% and 6.5%, respectively) had the lowest percentages (refer to Compare Data by Specialty and Location).
    • The highest percentages of female physicians were in the District of Columbia (49.9%), the U.S. Virgin Islands (46.5%), and Massachusetts (44.8%). American Samoa had the lowest percentage of female physicians at 0%, followed by the Northern Mariana Islands (masked due to small cell sizes, less than 20%) and Utah (26.8%; refer to Physicians by Specialty and Location).
    • Note: The American Medical Association Professional Physician Data define gender as “male” or “female.” Although limited to these categories within our analyses, we acknowledge sex and gender as fluid, nonbinary variables.
  • In 2023, 23.4% of active physicians were age 65 or older (refer to U.S. Physicians in All Specialties). The percentages of this age group in individual specialties ranged from 70.1% in pulmonary disease to 2.2% in clinical neurophysiology (refer to Compare Data by Specialty and Location).
    • The Northern Mariana Islands (masked due to small cell sizes, above 45%) and Puerto Rico (37.9%) had the highest percentages of physicians aged 65 and older. Utah had the lowest percentage of physicians older than 65 years (18.4%), followed by Minnesota (19.7%; refer to Physicians by Specialty and Location).
  • In 2023, 16.8% of active physicians were under age 40 (refer to U.S. Physicians in All Specialties). The percentages of this age group in individual specialties ranged from 35.6% in hospice and palliative medicine to 0.7% in pulmonary disease (refer to Compare Data by Specialty and Location).
    • The District of Columbia (23.1%) and Michigan (21.5%) had the highest percentages of physicians under age 40. American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands had 0 physicians under age 40. The U.S. Virgin Islands had the lowest percentage (masked due to small cell sizes, less than 10%; refer to Physicians Specialty and Location).
  • In 2023, 56.3% of active physicians identified as White, 19.3% as Asian, 6.5% as Hispanic or Latino (alone or in combination), 5.2% as Black or African American, and less than 1.5% identified as Multiracial (non-Hispanic; 1.4%), 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 9.7% (refer to U.S. Physicians in All Specialties).

Undergraduate Medical Education (UME)

  • In 2023, 47 states and two territories had at least one medical school. Alaska, Delaware, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands did not have a medical school.
  • During the 2023-2024 academic year, 41 students per 100,000 population were enrolled in U.S. medical schools. The states and territories with the highest student-to-population ratio were the District of Columbia (316), West Virginia (88), Vermont (79), Missouri (79), and Nebraska (73; refer to Medical Student Density by School and Degree).
    • The rate of student enrollment per 100,000 population varied widely across the 44 states and one territory where a public medical school exists, from a low of 10 in Georgia to a high of 88 in West Virginia. Nationally, 19 students per 100,000 population were enrolled in public medical schools (refer to Medical Student Density by School and Degree).
  • Between the 2013-2014 and 2023-2024 academic years, the total number of students enrolled in U.S. medical schools increased by 28.1% (median, 29.6%). Iowa and Maryland (-1.7%) were the only states or territories to experience decreases in total enrollment during the ten-year period. Utah (309.9%), Arizona (170.1%), and New Mexico (164.5%) had the largest percentage increases in enrollment (refer to Percent Change in Medical School Enrollment).
    • The total number of students enrolled in U.S. MD-granting medical schools grew by 14,735 or 17.7% in the 10-year period (median, 12.8%). Nevada (106.0%), New Jersey (76.1%) and Washington (54.9%) experienced the most growth in MD-granting school enrollment. Maryland (-1.7%) and Iowa (-0.2%) experienced the largest declines in MD-granting enrollment (refer to Percent Change in Medical School Enrollment).
    • The total number of students enrolled in U.S. DO-granting medical schools increased by 15,154 or 65.7% in the 10-year period (median, 39.4%). Among the 27 states with DO-granting medical schools during the 10-year period, Alabama (77.9%), North Carolina (287.0%), and Indiana (283.9%) had the largest percentage increases in enrollment. Michigan (-4.7%), Iowa (-2.8%), and West Virginia (-2.3%) experienced the largest declines in enrollment (refer to Percent Change in Medical School Enrollment).
  • For the 2023-2024 academic year, 60.3% of new students in U.S. MD-granting schools matriculated in their home state (median 68.9%). Puerto Rico (93.7%), Louisiana (89.5%), Mississippi (89.2%), and South Carolina (89.1%) had the highest percentages of in-state MD matriculants. In contrast, New Hampshire (masked due to small cell sizes, less than 10%), the District of Columbia (23.5%), and Maryland (26.5%) had the lowest percentage of in-state MD-school matriculants (refer to Percent of Students Matriculating to In-State, MD-Granting Schools).

Graduate Medical Education (GME)

  • In 2023, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico had at least one ACGME-accredited training program. American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands did not have any ACGME-accredited training programs.
  • The number of residents and fellows in training programs per 100,000 in the United States was 47 (median, 37) in 2023. This varied widely across the United States, from a low of 3 in Alaska to a high of 100 in New York and 255 in the District of Columbia (refer to Resident and Fellow Density by Program and Degree).
    • In 2023, the number of residents and fellows per 100,000 population in specialty care training programs was 30 (median, 24) and 17 in primary care training programs (median, 24). Among both primary care and specialty care training programs, the highest density of residents and fellows per population occurred in the Northeast and the lowest density in the West (refer to Resident and Fellow Density by Program and Degree).
  • Nationally, more than one-fifth (23.5%) of the residents and fellows in training programs were IMGs in 2023. The percentage varied widely across the states. Alaska (0%), Colorado (6.2%), Washington (8.0%), Utah (8.4%), and Vermont (8.9%) had the lowest percentages of IMG residents and fellows. At the other end of the spectrum, the highest percentages of IMG residents were in North Dakota (46.1%), New Jersey (42.2%), New York (36.7%), Puerto Rico (35.6%), and Arkansas (35.6%; refer to Residents and Fellows by Location).
  • In 2023, there were more residents and fellows in U.S. training programs than there were students enrolled in U.S medical schools, due to the presence of IMGs. The ratio of total residents and fellows to total medical students was 1.2, with a national median of 0.9. This ratio was the highest in Massachusetts (2.0) and Connecticut (1.8), and lowest in Idaho (0.3) and Montana (0.4; refer to Ratio of Residents and Fellows to Medical School Students).
    • The total ratio of residents and fellows with degrees from U.S. DO-granting medical schools to medical students enrolled in U.S. DO-granting schools was 0.7 (median, 0.6). Among states with DO-granting medical schools, this ratio was the highest in Ohio (2.0) and Michigan (1.8), and lowest in Utah (0.1), Idaho (0.1), and Maine (0.2; refer to Ratio of Residents and Fellows to Medical School Students).
    • The total ratio of residents and fellows with degrees from U.S. MD-granting medical schools to medical students enrolled in U.S. MD-granting schools was 0.9 (median, 0.8). This ratio was highest in Connecticut (1.8) and Utah (1.5), and lowest in South Dakota (0.3), North Dakota (0.3), Puerto Rico (0.3), and Nebraska (0.4; refer to Ratio of Residents and Fellows to Medical School Students).
  • The total number of residents and fellows in U.S. training programs increased 32.4% between 2013 and 2023 (median, 29.4%) and 13.9% between 2018 and 2023 (median, 13.8%; refer to Percent Change in Residents and Fellows).
    • Between 2013 and 2023, all but Alaska (-39.5%) and Hawaii (-6.2%) experienced increases in the number of residents and fellows (refer to Percent Change in Residents and Fellows).
    • Similarly, between 2018 and 2023 the number of residents and fellows increased in all states except Alaska (-37.8%), Hawaii (-15.6%), Puerto Rico (-1.6%), and the District of Columbia (-0.4%; refer to Percent Change in Residents and Fellows).

Physician Retention

  • In 2023, 37.8% of U.S. physicians were practicing in the same state where they completed UME (median, 39.0%), driven primarily by retention from public medical schools. For U.S. public medical schools, the 2023 retention rate was 45.9% (median, 43.6%; refer to Physician Retention).
    • Among states and territories with both public and private medical schools, the percentage of physicians retained from UME was highest in California, Texas, and Arkansas, and lowest in Vermont, Maryland, and Iowa (refer to Physician Retention).
  • In 2023, 48.2% of U.S. physicians were practicing in the same state where they completed their most recent ACGME-accredited training program (median, 45.6%). Retention percentages were highest in Puerto Rico (72.1%), California (71.6%), Montana (62.7%), and lowest in the District of Columbia (15.6%), Delaware (28.6%), and New Hampshire (29.8%; refer to Physician Retention).
  • Nationally, more than two-thirds (68.2%) of physicians who completed both UME and ACGME-accredited training programs in the same state remained in that state to practice (median, 68.9%). This percentage was highest in Hawaii (86.8%), California (82.3%), and Texas (81.1%). The remaining states and territories had percentages of 40% or greater, except for the District of Columbia which had the lowest percentage at 19.0% (refer to Physician Retention).